State of Grace
by A Moonless Sky
Summary: And I never saw you coming, and I'll never be the same. Mori/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.**_

 _ **~Loa Tzu**_

* * *

Faceless people, nameless buildings, they all passed by in one colorful blur. The soft hum of the limo was the only sound that reached my ears and it took all of my self-control to repress the sigh that wanted to slip out. The fabric of my romper was digging into my thighs uncomfortably and the more I shifted the deeper it dug. Wonderful.

"Sky?" My mom asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at her and as her concerned brown eyes met my own, I painted a smile on my face.

"Stop worrying about me, it's just different. I'll be used to it in no time, you know me, I'm adaptable." I grabbed her manicured hand in mine and gave it a small squeeze. She had been pestering me for what seemed like every five minutes since we boarded the plane in Louisiana to fly here, to Japan. Mom was getting remarried, something I never thought was a possibility.

My own dad died when I was five, and ever since then she's had a long line of asshole boyfriends come along. When Arashi popped into her life, I never imagined we'd be where we were now. He was practically perfect, no matter how hard I tried to find some fault in the Japanese man, there was none to be found. He was nice to a fault, was head over heels for my mom, and he genuinely cared about me and my wellbeing. Not to mention he was the owner of a legal firm that did well. To put it simply, he was loaded. The man bought my mom and I anything we even hinted at wanting, it was borderline ridiculous.

Despite how wonderful my soon to be step-dad was, leaving my southern homeland was hard. Before Arashi proposed to my mom, he asked me to go to dinner with him, in part to ask my permission, and in part to ask how I would feel about moving across the world. My own feelings were important to him.

Arashi met my mom when he was on vacation with his sons and since then, they'd kept up a long-distance relationship, him visiting as often as possible. If they were getting married, that couldn't be the deal anymore.

The decision came ultimately came to me. Arashi wouldn't propose if I didn't approve. My mom suffered for years, I wasn't going to be the one to stand in the way of her happiness.

He proposed and she said yes.

The move itself wasn't immediate. My mom and I had a lot to learn before we moved to Japan; language, etiquette, culture. We had already taken to learning, but it was thrown into overdrive after the proposal. There was another small problem, not only would we be thrown into a completely different country with a different language and different culture, but we'd be members of the social elite, something neither of us were familiar with.

"Baby, we're here."

My mom's voice caused my head to snap up and look out of the window.

"Wow." The word didn't even begin to cover my astonishment. We knew Arashi was rich, but neither of us had been expecting the mansion laid out before us. My mom and I had only ever lived with the necessities, and sometimes not even that. Our small two-bedroom apartment wasn't even in the same dimension as the estate in front of us. It looked like something straight out of a movie.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and meeting my mom's eyes, so similar to my own, I saw a happiness that I'd only seen a handful of times. Any and all negative feelings were pushed to the side. Mom had consistently sacrificed things for me, for my own comfort, my own happiness, this was the least I could to for her.

When the limo came to a step, the door was open, and my future step-dad was beaming down at us, clad in a simple black suit that no doubt cost more than anything I had ever owned in my entire life. He helped Mom out of the vehicle first and they embrace happily. My heart constricted painfully, but I forced a smile when he offered his hand out to me. I took it and he gave me an awkward hug. Arashi was strangely touchy-feely for a Japanese man.

"I'm glad to see you made it okay. Was there any trouble on the way?" He asked, his dark eyes flitting between Mom and I.

"It was all wonder, can't say flying is my favorite activity though." Mom laughed. She had a terrible fear of heights and this was her first time on a plane. I had a little experience from the one Disney trip my Nanny brought me on when I was younger, but I was no pro. Despite getting nauseous a few times, the flight wasn't horrible, and I was seated next to the nicest old lady in first class. We chatted a majority of the trip since Mom was knocked out.

"Did Athena and Wasabi make it?" I asked immediately.

"They did, they are inside. I believe they missed you." Arashi replied with a chuckle and I fought the urge to sprint inside of my new mansion home. Athena and Wasabi, my dog and cat, my two pieces of home.

"How about we make out way inside." Arashi suggested. "All of our things are in your new room SkyLynn-chan. I tried to get Kei-kun to come greet you but he was otherwise preoccupied and Kohei-kun is taking a nap. He was so excited about your arrival that he couldn't sleep a wink last night."

Kei and Kohei were Arashi's sons from his previous marriage. Kei was a year my senior and didn't even try to hide his distaste for me and Mom, contrary to Kohei who was six and overjoyed at getting a mom and a big sister.

The doors to the mansion swung open the minute we arrived on the doorstep. The sight when we walked in left me and Mom speechless. A mansion as big as this one obviously needed an abundance of help to keep it up, but seeing the help lined up, bowing as we walked in was unnerving.

"Welcome Chiasson-sama and Chiasson-sama." They said in unison.

"Th-Thank you." Mom managed to reply after a few seconds of astonishment and Arashi laughed at our reaction. They immediately dispersed to attend to their duties and the sound of pattering paws on the hardwood floor caused my heart to soar.

Athena, my chihuahua, flew into the room, curly tail wagging nonstop. I swept her into my arms and she assaulted my face with kisses. My eyes started to water, seeing my dog here in this unfamiliar place made everything more real.

A loud meow drew my attention to the ground and my black cat, Wasabi, rubbed his head affectionately against my leg.

"The cooks have begun preparing dinner, it should be ready in about an hour. Please take a chance to get settled in. Misa-san will show you to your room SkyLynn-chan." Needing no further invitation, I kissed my mom on the cheek and trailed after the blonde maid, Athena still in my arms.

We walked up the main staircase and down the hall, took a left and ran into none other than my wonderful new step-brother. Misa immediately bowed at the sight of him and Athena squirmed in my arms. I let her down and she ran to the older male, his hand twitched as if to reach down and pet her but he restrained himself.

Kei had the same dark hair and eyes as his father, though his face was more angular, and always scrunched into a scowl when me or my mom were around.

He didn't say a word, merely turned and walked straight back into his room. Such a warm welcome.

With him gone, Misa continued leading me to my new room, which was practically across the hall from Kei.

"This will be your room Chiasson-sama, if you need anything just use the phone on the wall and we'll obtain what you require. If you don't further require my assistance, I must help with dinner preparations." Misa said with a bow and waited for me to dismiss her.

I didn't think this was something I could get used to.

"U-Um, thank you! And SkyLynn is fine."

"As you wish SkyLynn-sama, now if you'll excuse me."

She bowed again, and was gone. I sighed, my shoulder dropping, all the energy seeming to leave my body.

My mouth formed an 'o' when I finally turned and took in my new room. Despite having designed the room myself, seeing it in person was shocking. It was everything I had ever wanted.

The room was bigger than any bedroom I had ever been in, hell, it was probably the size of my old apartment, if not bigger. The walls were a light grey and the floors traditional hardwood. My bed was so big it was bordering on impractical.

Everything seemed like such a dream. Was I completely happy with the situation? No, my emotions about it all were too complicated for me to even begin to express, but having this room, it made me happy. Being financially well off made me happy.

People constantly said that money couldn't buy happiness. Those people had obviously never lived on instant ramen for a month. Money wasn't everything, of course there were more important things, but money was pretty great.

I mean, I even had my own bathroom and walk in closet. Happily sighing, I walked to the vanity next to my bed and took a seat. Looking in the mirror, my tired, yet slightly giddy, brown eyes stared back at me.

My short burgundy hair was a mess and my normally tan skin was a few shades lighter than normal. A long plane could do that to a person I guess.

Getting to my feet, I walked into my new, giant closet and browsed my plethora of new clothes, compliment of Arashi. I grabbed a pair of leggings and a grey sweater, something simple and comfortable.

My bathroom was just as dazzling as my bedroom. Not only did I have a standing shower, but a Jacuzzi tub. Jesus Christ.

Without any further delay I stripped and stepped into the shower, a moan slipping from my lips as the water hit my back. Water pressure was an amazing thing.

* * *

The minute I stepped foot into the dining room, something attached itself to my leg. Well, more like someone.

"Nee-san!" A childish voice exclaimed. Laughing, I looked down to see Kohei grinning up at me.

"Hi Kohei-kun." I greeted happily. He unattached himself from my leg only to raise his arms in the arm, the universal sign for 'pick me up'. Who was I to tell the child no?

"Well?" Mom asked as I took the seat next to her, placing Kohei on my lap. I almost had to do a double take when I saw her. I was so used to seeing her in jeans and a t-shirt, seeing her in a dress threw me for a loop.

"It's different that's for sure." I laughed as Kohei nuzzled himself against my chest. He was the most affectionate little boy I had ever met. "Who'd have thought we'd go from living off ramen to this?"

"It's kind of ironic don't ya think?" Mom and I both laughed. She had a point. I tried to place Kohei in the seat next to mine, but he clung to me, so I let him stay in my lap, I was as much of a cuddler as him so I wasn't complaining. Kei was seated scross from Mom and Arashi sat at the head of the table.

The maids and butlers brought out the food and laid it on the table. The amount of food reminded me of a Thanksgiving feast. All of Mom and I's favorites filled the table.

"Itadakimasu." Arashi said and we followed suit. It still felt foreign, but if I was able to get used to saying 'Grace', I could get used to one word.

I went straight for the lasagna and Mom laughed, she knew it was going to be my first choice. I also grabbed a few chicken nuggets for Kohei to feast on.

Sitting at the table and eating like a family felt strange. It all felt so surreal.

"Now SkyLynn-chan, the day after tomorrow I have made you an appointment to be registered at the same school as Kei-kun," Arashi informed and Kei almost choked on his food.

"Otou-san! Can't she enroll at Lobelia?!" He protested, almost shooting out of his chair in indignation. I cringed and tried to sink into my own chair, attempting to disappear. It wasn't a pleasant feeling having someone hate you as much as Kei hated me and Mom. She gave me an apologetic look and I returned it with a small smile.

"It would be much more convenient for her to attend Ouran with you Kei. Now, please calm down and enjoy your dinner." It was obvious my step-brother had more to say but he bit his tongue, opting to glare at me.

"Nee-san, will you come play with me after dinner?" Kohei asked, staring up at me with big puppy dog eyes.

"Your nee-san needs to rest Kohei-kun, maybe another time.: Mom said with a smile, causing the little boy to pout.

"Next time okay?" I said with a grin, wiping the crumbs from his face and he hastily nodded his head in agreement before shoving another nugget in his mouth. The rest of dinner passed in relative silence, Mom and Arashi stealing glances at each other when they thought no one was looking. My gut twisted painfully but I shook the negativity away.

After dad died, Mom fell into a deep depression she could never quite pull herself out of. Depression was a relentless foe, and she turned to alcoholism. Ever since she met Arashi, things had been better and only continued to get better. I would never get in the way of her happiness.

When I finished my meal, I moved to pick up the plate, to bring it to the kitchen like I was used to. Before I could even get a grip on the dish, a gloved hand swooped in and took it. Alright then.

"The mean was delicious, thank you, Arashi-san. If you don't mind, I'm tired from the trip."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, get your rest." Arashi said with a kind smile. I placed Kohei down on the seat next to mine –much to his displeasure-, and gave him and Mom a kiss on the forehead before heading up to my room.

The fatigue hit me like a train. I barely had enough time to change into pajamas before passing out on my new bed, Athena and Wasabi curled up beside me.

* * *

 **A/N: Doing some revisions and formatting change, thanks for the love guys. Love you.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I've got thick skin and an elastic heart**_

 _ **Elastic Heart; Sia**_

* * *

My eyes fluttered open and my heart raced in panic at the unfamiliar surroundings before I realized where I was. Right, Japan, new home, new room.

"Good morning SkyLynn-sama." A small shriek escaped from my lips as a voice to my right spoke, causing Athena to worm her way out of the covers and growl at the intruder. Misa, the maid who showed me to my room yesterday, was standing a few feet from my bed, holding a tray with a cup of steaming liquid. Was that coffee I smelled?

"How long have you been standing there?" I questioned, grabbing Athena to help calm her down, and slow my own racing heart. It was unnerving to know that she was standing there while I slept. That was something I would definitely not be getting used to.

"Only a few minutes, I was instructed to wake you, but you did so yourself." The blonde replied stoically.

"Who told you to wake me up?" It was still early, the sunlight filtering through the curtains told me that much.

"Hoshiji-sama did, as the two of you have an appointment with the chairman of Ouran today." Getting out of bed, I grabbed the cup of coffee from Misa and took a sip of it. It was made just how I liked it, way too much sugar, and way too much creamer. Delicious. Wait. Appointment? That couldn't be right.

"You must be mistaken Misa-san; our appointment isn't until tomorrow."

"No Miss, your appointment is today." She stated confidently, leaving me confused.

"Wait, what day is it?"

"Monday, Miss." My eyes widened and I almost choked on my coffee at her words. We arrived on Saturday, so that means I slept straight through Sunday as a whole. I wasn't that surprised at my ability to sleep through a whole day, I had come close before.

"Okay, how long until we leave?"

"Two hours SkyLynn-sama." That's what I was scared of. Just perfect.

"Alright, thank you Misa-san. Please let Arashi-san know I'll be down in an hour." Misa nodded, bowed, and was gone. With a groan, I threw myself back on the bed and stretched. It was, without a doubt, the most comfortable bed I'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping on.

Athena plopped herself on my stomach and I grabbed my phone which had been off since the plane ride. The minute it turned on, it began to vibrate like crazy, dozens of messages coming in at once. Oh crap.

When I landed, I was supposed to let my friends and family know I made it in one piece. Needless to say, I never got around to it. They were all going to kill me.

Instead of delaying the inevitable, I exited out of the messages and pulled up my cousin's number.

 _"Sky, I thought you died."_ No 'hello', no 'how was your flight?'. Typical

"Thanks for your concern Brennan. As you can see, I am alive and well. Can you pass the message along to Mimi and Nanny? I'm actually in a rush so I'll call you when I get more settled, okay?"

 _"Fine. Do keep in mind that that we're in completely different time zones now. I don't need you waking me from my beauty sleep."_

"Yeah, yeah, whatever drama queen. Love you, B."

 _"Love you too Sky."_ Hanging up with Brennan made my heart ache. We were first cousins, but due to the size of our small family, we were always more like brother and sister. Next on my very short list was my best friend.

 _"Bitch! Do you know how worried I was?!"_ My best friend screamed at me.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry Princess. I made it, I'm safe, I'm living bougee as hell, I can't wait for you to come visit, anyway, I have to go get registered at my new bougee school so I'll take to you later, I promise."

 _"Ugh! Fine! You better fly me up first class. I love you."_

"Love you too Jenna."

There wasn't any hope of stopping my tears after hanging up with my best friend. Wasabi rubbed his head against my arm which only caused me to cry harder. I missed my best friend, I missed my cousin, I missed my little apartment, I missed my school, I missed _home_.

I didn't know how long I laid in bed crying, but eventually I did get up, knowing I had to get ready. Taking a shaky breath, I plugged my phone back in to the charger and put my music on shuffle. 'Sorry Not Sorry' by Demi Lovato started to play as I walked into my bathroom. I groaned when I saw how red and puffy my eyes were. Luckily, I had enough experience with hiding swollen eyes that they were back to normal after a few minutes under a cold compress.

"Feeling like a ten, the best I've ever been." I sang while walking into my closet. Now to decide what to wear. Decisions, decisions.

My wardrobe did a full one-eighty compared to what it was before. My days of wearing baggy t-shirts and sweatpants were at an end. Though I did manage to smuggle a few pairs just for old time's sake, for the most part there wasn't a single item of clothing that wasn't name brand.

Arashi would never have forced me or Mom to change any aspect of how we looked, dressed, or acted, but the both of us knew that we now had an image to uphold. If one of us was seen looking like a sloppy mess, it would reflect on him. That meant using our best manners, it was the reason we both went to cotillion classes before the move. We were in a different world, my mom even moreso than me.

My nanny, Brennan's mom and my late father's sister, was wealthy. They were the social elite in our town. Though it wasn't common, on occasion I was accompany them to events, so I had some experience. It was why I was so comfortable in heels and why I was able to differentiate between a salad fork and a dinner fork. Mom on the other hand was out of her element, and I was worried she wouldn't be able to handle the pressure.

After a bit of deliberation, I settled on a black skirt and a white blouse, paired with a pair of black heels. I kept my makeup to a minimum, just the basics; foundation, powder, eyeliner, mascara, a light pink lipstick, and I filled in my eyebrows. By the time I was popping in my pearl earring into my seconds, it was time for me to head downstairs. I grabbed my phone, wallet, a pair of sunglasses and I was ready to go. If I could actually make it to the dining room without getting lost, that was to be seen.

* * *

Though it took a few tries, I eventually made it to the dining room with directions from a helpful butler. Arashi and Kei were already sitting at the table, Kei in a blue suit eating a bowl of cereal, and Arashi in his signature black, reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. I kind of stood there awkwardly for a second, not really knowing what to do with myself without Mom there. There hadn't exactly been a lot of alone time with just me and my new family.

"Ah, SkyLynn-chan, good morning, please, have a seat. Would you like something to eat?" Arashi said with charming smile, finally noticing my presence. I took a seat across from Kei and he shot me a glare before going back to his cereal. Ah, nothing like brotherly love.

"Yes, please." My new dad made a barely noticeable motion with his hand and a butler appeared next to me holding a tray with a variety of breakfast foods. Rich people, I swear. I grabbed a small plate with a biscuit on it and reached for the pitcher of orange juice, but the butler beat me to it and poured me a glass. "Thank you."

The butler nodded in acknowledgement before leaving.

The biscuit was heavenly. It was flaky and warm, it was without a doubt, the best biscuit I had ever eaten in my sixteen years of living. I could have lived the rest of my life only eating those biscuits and been content.

"Is my mom still asleep?" I questioned after finishing the amazing biscuit and downing the glass of orange juice.

"She is. I would have tried to wake her, but you know how she is in the morning." He said with a chuckle and I could tell he was trying to coax something out of me, a smile, a laugh, something. He wanted some sort of comradery with me, but I just couldn't.

"Well, are you kids ready?" Arashi said after a moment and me and Kei got up, neither of us speaking.

As the doors were opened for us, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of it all again. It was such a weird thought that the gorgeous estate was my home now. I felt so out of place. Getting into a limo didn't help easy that feeling.

Kei sat as far away from me as possible and Arashi sat directly across from me. He tried so hard, which honestly only made me feel worse. It would be easy for me to dislike him if he was mean, if he didn't give a shit about me like so many before him, but he cared. I couldn't dislike him.

"Here SkyLynn-chan." Arashi said, arm outstretched with something that looked suspiciously like a gold credit card in his hand. "I talked to your mom about it and we decided you more than deserve this. It's a credit card, it's linked to my account of course. You'll need money for lunch, for starters, and anything else you want, really. As long as you keep your grades up and stay out of trouble, you have full access to it."

Why did he have to be so perfect?

"I can't take that Arashi-san; you've already done so much for me." I protested, my cheeks no doubt reddening. Accepting things from others had never been something I was good at. I hated hand-outs.

"I do these things because I want to SkyLynn-chan, there's no one more deserving of it than you. I trust you, your mom trusts you, only use it for emergencies if that's what you want, but you can buy anything." I cautiously took the card from his hand, acting as if it were a snake coiled to strike.

"Thank you, Arashi-san." I said, not able to look the man in the eye. He just smiled at me, no doubt feeling very accomplished.

Looking out the windows of the limo, I noticed we were arriving at the destination. The school was more extravagant than I even imagined. I thought my old high school was nice enough, but this place made it look like a dump.

The moment the limo stopped, Kei practically jumped out.

"Don't forget to wait for SkyLynn-chan after school Kei!" Arashi called out and Kei just waved his hand in acknowledgement. With a sigh, he helped me out of the limo and I put my sunglasses on to block the blinding sun. With my wallet in hand, I adjusted my skirt and we began walking towards the building that was now my new school. Ouran High School.

* * *

 **A/N: Redone**


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'm headed straight for the castle, they're gonna make me their queen.**_

 _ **Castle; Halsey**_

* * *

I felt the eyes on me as I trailed behind Arashi. Apparently, class hadn't started yet so my new schoolmates were lingering around socializing. The arrival of someone new was obviously big news. Well, probably more the fact that I was going to be Arashi's new step-daughter. No doubt my classmates knew exactly who I was, I knew how these things worked.

Instead of focusing on the stares and whispers, I kept my chin up and put my bitch face on, put a sashay in my step, and continued walking. If there's one thing I learned in life, sometimes you gotta fake it till you make it.

We finally made it the Chairman's office and it was opened by, who I presumed was, a secretary.

A tall, brown haired man stood behind a large desk, turned and looking out of the giant window. He turned to us with a giant smile on his face.

"Arashi-san! My friend! Welcome." The man happily shook Arashi's hand and I awkwardly hung back, watching the exchange.

"It's good to see you again Yuzuru-san; we need to play golf again soon." He replied with an equally big grin. Yuzuru, the chairman from what I had gathered, then turned to me, the grin never leaving his face.

"You must be the lovely SkyLynn-san, it is my honor to have you joining my school. I do hope you thoroughly enjoy your time here."

My face took on a red tint, but my tan skin hid it well. My manners kicked in and a polite smile graced my lips.

"Thank you, sir, I'm sure I will."

"Please, have a seat so we can discuss all the boring formalities." Arashi and I took a seat on one of the luxurious couches as Yuzuru sat behind his desk and grabbed a few papers from his desk.

"Now, looking at your file I am very impressed SkyLynn-san. All honors classes with practically perfect marks, varsity volleyball player, student council vice-president, and a member of the drama club; we're honored to have someone with a record like that at this school." I just nodded, shaking the melancholy at the memory of all I had left behind. "Now unlike American high schools, Japanese high schools only have three grade levels as opposed to four which leaves us with the question of where to place you. In my opinion it would be best to place you as a second year, though your schedule will need some adjusting due to you being ahead in some subjects and behind in others. Is this all sounding good so far?"

I was a junior at my old high school so either way I was one year away from graduation. I just nodded my head with a smile.

"Alright, now for your schedule. You're ahead in your maths so you'll be placed in a third-year class for that subject, you'll be in second year English, history, and science, and first year Japanese language. That leaves you with one free period which you can either fill with an elective or use for study hall."

"I'd like study hall thank you."

"Perfect." Yuzuru said with a warm smile and typed a few things into his computer. After a couple of minutes, a piece of paper printed out that he pushed in my direction. "You just need to sign this and you'll be good to go."

I didn't bother reading the paper and simply signed my name on the dotted line. After shuffling a few papers on his desk, the chairman grabbed the one from the printer and handed it to me.

"This is your schedule; I'll call for my son to show you to your classes since you share a majority of your classes. The girl's uniform will be shipped to your home in a few days' time. Until then, you're free to wear whatever you'd like as long as it in appropriate."

"Thank you so much Yuzuru-san." Arashi said before I had the chance to and shook the man's hand again.

"Anything for you old friend, maybe now that you have a daughter we can get talking about arranging a marriage." The statement shocked me, by his tone of voice and the laugh that followed I could tell the man was joking, but when I looked at his face there was something there, something that wasn't a joke. I knew coming to this country that arranged marriages were very much still a thing, especially among the higher class, but to have someone suggest that I partake in one was completely different.

Not as though Mom would never consent to it, but it was still jarring.

"You shouldn't say things like that Yuzuru-san." Arashi chided, shooting me and apologetic glance. I just looked away.

"Suoh-sama, your son has arrived." The same woman from before interrupted.

"Alright, you can let him in."

A tall, blonde boy walked in and the first thing I noticed were his shocking violet eyes. They were serious as they looked over the people in the room.

"You called for me Otou-san?" The boy asked after a quick bow.

"Ah yes. Tamaki, this is SkyLynn-san, she's new to Japan and will be joining Ouran. Since the two of you share a majority of classes, I'm entrusting her care to you." The blonde boy's eyes focused on me and a charming smile lit up his face. He didn't look Japanese, that was for sure. Maybe Swedish? Or French?

"It is a pleasure to meet you SkyLynn-san."

"The pleasure is all mine Tamaki-san." Normally, this was where we would shake hands, but Japan was different in that aspect. Though people did shake hands, it was more for business-like situations, apparently bowing was more common.

"The driver will have the limo brought after school for you and Kei, if anything happens you have my number, don't hesitate to call." I smiled awkwardly at the man.

"Thank you, and you too Suoh-san." Tamaki bowed to the two men and I quickly followed suit. Once we were out of the office, it was as if the blonde boy was a completely different person. His demeanor completely changed and he seemed more relaxed out of the presence of his father.

"Now SkyLynn-hime, can I please see your schedule?" He asked. Even his voice was different, airier and light. Wait. Hime?

Despite my bewilderment at the change, I handed him the piece of paper in my hands.

"It seems we share three classes together; I thank the heavans for the opporunity to gaze at your beauty three times a day!" Okay.

What?

Tamaki was beaming down at me but I kept my eyes trained on the floor. He was attractive that went without question and he seemed like a genuinely nice person, but him shamelessly flirting like this was not getting him into my good graces. Back home I worked in the fast food industry and I had my fair share of typical white boys, they ones who would flirt with me because they thought it was funny. 'Hey guys watch me flirt with the fat mexican girl hurr durr', I guess at this point I was just paranoid.

"So, Princess, how are you enjoying Japan?" He questioned. The nickname I could deal with so long as he toned down the rest.

"I haven't had much of a chance to see anything yet honestly. Everything I've seen so far is beautiful though, I can't wait to see more of it." I replied with a smile, glad to have an actual conversation going.

"Maybe we could go see the sites together sometime, see the beauty of the country together. However, nothing we saw could trump your dazzling beauty." He didn't notice my eye-roll.

"I think we should get to class Suoh-san." I was still getting used to the honorifics and using last names versus using first names, but I knew last names and '-san' was more formal.

"Is it so wrong to want to keep you to myself a little longer? Can't I be selfish just this once?" Before I had time to react, he wrapped his arms around my waist and quite literally swept me off my feet, his face merely inches from mine.

I immediately pushed him off of me, my face red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment as I stumbled to keep my balance. His face was one of pure shock at my reaction, those violet eyes wide in surprise.

"Can you just stop? Look I don't know if you do this to every girl or what and I've tried to brush it off and be polite but I'm not playing this game. I'll get to class on my own, thank you though."

It was silent as I walked away, the only sound being my heels on the marble floor. Thankfully I had grabbed my schedule back from Tamaki and was able to find the classroom, we were already almost there so it was just a matter of reading the signs on the doors.

"Ah hello, can I help you miss?" An older man asked when I walked into the room, interrupting whatever he was saying. Taking a deep breath to calm my frazzles nerves I walked in with a smile.

"Hello, my name is SkyLynn Chiasson, today is my first day and this is my class I believe." I did my best not to acknowledge the classroom of teens staring at me, already turning and whispering amongst themselves.

"May I see your schedule Chiasson-san?" The teacher questioned and I handed him the slip of paper, he glanced at it and gave it back to me.

"How wonderful. Well, you can have a seat next to Ootori-san on the second row." The teacher said, pointing out a boy with glasses and black hair.

"Kyoya Ootori." The boy introduced when I took the seat next to him, his hand outstretched.

"SkyLynn Chiasson." I replied with a smile, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Suoh-san, you're late." I heard the teacher chide and whipped my head around. Sure enough there was Tamaki, hair askew and looking even more frazzled than I had.

"Sorry Hamasaki-sensei." He apologized with a bow before searching the classroom. His eyes locked on mine and I saw them light up. I felt his eyes on me the entirety of the class period, he obviously wanted to talk about what happened but I honestly didn't want to hear it. I didn't have time for this today.

The minute the class was over I practically ran out of the door, already having asked Kyoya for directions to my next class.

"You can have a seat next to Haninozuka in the second row." The teacher, a pretty young woman, instructed as I went through the same routine as before.

"Over here Sky-chan!" A childish voice called out and I had to look twice at the young looking boy excitedly waving at me. He looked like he couldn't be older than ten, and this was my third year class.

"Hello." I greeted with a smile as I took my seat next to the small boy, who wasn't the small up close, probably only a few inches shorter than me.

"Hi! I'm Mitskuni Haninozuka, but everyone calls me Hunny! And this is Takashi Morinozuka, but everyone calls him Mori! It's so so so nice to meet you! Do you like cake?" The boy chattered on and I glanced at the boy next to him. As opposed to Mitskuni's bubbly, cheerful, and bright nature, he seemed to be the polar opposite. The only indication that he was even paying attention to anything going on around him was a nod in my direction when his name was said.

He was surely attractive though. One of those talk, dark, and handsome types.

Mitskuni didn't stop the entire class period much to the annoyance of the teacher. It was refreshing to have someone be so _nice_ to me. With how I had been feeling recently it was all I had not to cry.

"What's your next class Sky-chan?" He asked once the class ended and I pulled out my schedule.

"Um, I have a free period so I was gonna go to the library."

"Which one?" The little boy asked to my confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we have four, silly!"

* * *

Mitskuni decided it was crucial that he and Takashi walked me to one of the four libraries instead of simply giving me directions despite my protests.

"It's on the way to our next class anyway, isn't it Takashi?"

"Yeah." The smaller of the two was riding on the shoulders of the other, leaving me as the shortest of the three during the walk. Takashi towered over me, even with heels. I never wanted to stand next to him without, he was at least a foot taller than me.

"You two seem rather close." I observed, curious what the relationship between the two was, considering Mitskuni was on Takashi's shoulder and all.

"We're cousins!" The shorter one exclaimed happily and my heart constricted.

"I can't say I'm surprised, you two seem very close."

"Do you have any cousins Sky-chan?" Mitskuni asked, smiling down at me.

"Yeah, a few." I replied, not quite able to put a smile on my face. I felt Takashi's eyes on me, and despite Mitskuni's childish demeanor, when he saw my reaction he was quick to change the subject.

"What's your favorite dessert Sky-chan?" He asked cheerfully.

"That's a hard one Mitskuni-san." I said with a laugh. "Probably strawberry shortcake."

"I love strawberry shortcake! Well, I love all types of cake, but I love strawberry shortcake a lot!"

We finally arrived at one of the libraries, the second one from the sign hanging outside, and I waved as the two walked library was giant, and there were four of them. It seemed a bit like overkill.

There were only a few people occupying the library and one particular boy caught my attention. He was in the standard Ouran uniform, his head buried in a book. I knew I'd need someone to ask for directions to my next class anyway so I walked up to him.

"Can I sit here?" I asked, motioning to the chair across from him. He looked up and his big brown eyes met mine, throwing me off. He looked so…feminine?

"Yeah, it's no problem." He replied with a smile and my bewilderment only grew. I mean, my voice was deeper than his. Though his voice is deeper than most girls, so is mine, but his voice had femininity to it.

"I'm SkyLynn Chiasson."

"Haruhi Fujioka."

I'm not one to judge someone's lifestyle choices. I personally didn't identify as straight and I had more than a few trans friends, at this point I was just left in an awkward position because I didn't know how to ask Haruhi their preferred pronouns without sounding rude. And what if they are just a feminine boy?

Guess I'm just going for it.

"So, I don't mean to be rude or offensive but do you have preferred pronouns?" I asked and they looked up at me, confused for a second before realization seemed to hit them.

"Man, I am not good at this whole secret thing." They said with a laugh. And so Haruhi broke _her_ situation down for me, telling me about the Host Club, and the debt she had to pay off.

"That's crazy." I said with a laugh when she finally finished.

"Tell me about it. So if you could please keep this a secret I'd really appreciate it."

"Don't worry Haruhi- _kun_ , your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, SkyLynn-san." She replied with a relieved smile. "But really, this whole thing happened because not one of our _four_ libraries were quiet enough to study."

"I really can't believe this school has four libraries, and at this size. It's just ridiculous!" I exclaimed.

"I agree; rich people always need to have an overabundance of everything, it's totally uncalled for." Haruhi commented and her eyes immediately widened. "I'm sorry SkyLynn-san I didn't mean-"

"Oh please, you didn't offend me Haruhi-san." I interrupted with a laugh and then told the girl about my own situation.

"Now _that's_ crazy. It's like your mom is Cinderella." Haruhi commented when I was done.

"I'm still adjusting to everything to be honest, it's actually comforting to talk to you, I think you're the first down to earth person I've talked to since I got here." I confessed.

"It goes both ways. The people I do talk to are nice, they just have no way of sympathizing with my situation."

"We should hang out sometime Haruhi-san, I think I need you around if I'm going to keep my sanity." We both laughed and for the first time since I got to Japan it didn't feel like I moved across the world, it didn't feel like my world had gotten turned upside down. It felt like I made a new friend, it felt like any other day.

Lunch was next and I spent it with my new friend. I had begrudgingly used the credit card Arashi had gifted me with to get something to put in my growling stomach.

"So what class do you have next?" Haruhi questioned after a few more minutes of conversation and I handed her my schedule.

"It looks like we're in the same class." She said and I felt relief flood my system, thank god.

"Good, now I have someone to copy homework from." I joked.

"In your dreams." She replied. We talked the entirety of our lunch break, talking about everything under the sun, our family, school, likes, dislikes. We walked to class together, still deep in conversation until we entered the room.

I did the whole introduction spiel and the young teacher let me sit next to Haruhi, immediately earning him points in my book.

 **"Who's your new friend Haruhi-kun?"** Two voices asked in perfect unison from behind us. Turning my head, I came face to face with a pair of red-headed twins, identical cat-like smiles on their face.

"She just introduced herself to class, maybe you should pay more attention." Haruhi chided, causing the twins to pout.

"Come on Haruhi-"

"Don't be so mean." The one on the left started while the one on the right finished.

"I'm SkyLynn Chiasson." I repeated for the sake of being polite and the twins turned their attention back to me.

"Hikaru."

"And Kaoru."

" **Hitachiin."**

The class mostly consisted of the twins trying their best to bother Haruhi who stayed focused on the subject. When it was over, she gave me directions to my next class and we agreed to meet at the same library tomorrow.

My next two classes were more of the same, introducing myself, sitting next to random people, dodging Tamaki. The last thing I needed was him to ruin my semi-good mood.

When my final class was dismissed I jetted out, however, by the time I made it to where I was dropped off, there was not a vehicle in sight. I pulled out my phone and tried to call Kei but he didn't answer. I wasn't particularly surprised. No doubt he left me stranded on purpose. He was so childish.

With a dejected sigh I began walking around the school, not knowing what to do at this point. Mom didn't have a cell phone and the last thing I wanted to do was call Arashi when he was at work.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering I stumbled across a room with 'Music Room Three' written on the sign above it. I recognized it immediately, it was the one Haruhi told me about, the one the Host Club used for their activities. With a shrug I decided to enter, maybe Haruhi could help me come up with a solution, point me in the direction of a bus or something.

I pushed the door open and a soft chorus of 'welcome' met my ears along with a flurry rose petals being blown in my face.

* * *

 **A/N: Redone.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Boy you got me helpless.**_

 _ **Helpless; Hamilton**_

* * *

It took a second for my eyes to adjust considering I was blinded by the light emitting from the room. When they did, however, I was shocked. Though Haruhi told me about her adventures with the Host Club, she hadn't gone in too much detail about the members and I hadn't given it a second thought.

"SkyLynn-chan!" Tamaki exclaimed, the charming smile on his face slipping by a fraction. In hindsight, I couldn't say I was surprised. He fit the bill to a tee, and it did explain why he acted so outrageously. Though I didn't like it, I supposed I couldn't hold it against him. Besides, Haruhi spoke so highly of him. Despite being incredibly naïve, she said she had a heart of gold. That was something I could appreciate.

"Don't worry Tamaki-san, I'm sorry I overreacted when you were merely doing your job." I said quickly, before he could get a word out. When I looked up at him, his big violet eyes were filled with unshed tears and my stomach dropped. Did I make him cry?

"SkyLynn-chan, you are so polite and forgiving! We should all learn a thing or two from you!" He exclaimed, gesturing wildly.

"What are you doing here, SkyLynn-san?" Haruhi questioned, having walked toward me and Tamaki at some point.

"Long story, but I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the nearest bus stop." I replied with a sigh and Haruhi brought her hand up to her face in contemplation.

"I think the closest one is three blocks away if I'm not mistaken." She said after a minute and I sighed again. Great. Walking three blocks in heels was just what I wanted to do.

"Ugh, okay. Do you know if busses accept credit cards by any chance?" I didn't have any cash on me, only the gold card in my wallet and I had never taken public transportation before, the small town I'm from hadn't had them. If I wasn't able to procure a ride, I simply walked, it wasn't a big deal.

"A bus?!" Tamaki suddenly shouted, appalled. Haruhi and I turned to him and his eyes were wide in shock. "Why ever would you take a bus?!"

"Because Arashi's house is at least half an hour away from form by car, I hate to think of long it is on foot." I replied and cringed when I realized I forgot the honorific.

"We at the Ouran Host Club would never allow a lady such as yourself to take public transportation! One of us can bring you home after club activities."

"It's okay Tamaki-san, really." I said awkwardly, looking at Haruhi in distress. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You are so brave SkyLynn-chan!" Tamaki cried. "However, a proper gentleman such as myself could not live with himself knowing he let a lady take public transportation!"

"Think of how it would reflect on Hoshiji-sama if his soon-to-be daughter was seen walking three blocks to a bus station, because yes, it would be seen." The black-haired boy with glasses from my English class, Kyoya I think, chimed in. He had stayed quiet in the background so far, jotting things down in a little black notebook. Something about him set me on edge.

 **"Kyoya-senpai is right you know."** The Hitachiin twins agreed, throwing each on arm on my shoulders.

"I hate to say it SkyLynn-san, but you're fighting a losing battle, believe me." Haruhi said, a sympathetic smile on her face and I sighed. These boys were impossible.

"Fine, it doesn't seem I have much of a choice." I stated, shoulders slumping in defeat. This day was only getting longer and longer.

* * *

I couldn't have felt more awkward if I had been actively trying. Of course, I chose Haruhi to sit with, but once the club had officially open, girls began to pour in. When learning about Japan, I heard about 'Host Clubs', but hearing and seeing were two different experiences.

"So Haruhi-kun, what do you like to do on the weekends?" The girl sitting to my right asked shyly.

"Well, I'm usually studying or doing household chores, usually both." She replied with a charming smile. I couldn't help the small blush that dusted across my cheeks, Haruhi was definitely cute, no doubt about it.

A commotion caused me to turn my head and my eyes widened at the source.

"Sorry we're late guys, Takashi's kendo practice ran long." A childish voice stated, a voice which undoubtedly belonged to a certain short blonde. I shifted my gaze to the tall boy he was perched on and my heart jumped into my throat when our eyes met. Had he been staring at me? I immediately whipped my head around, my cheeks on fire.

I never would have imaged those two would be part of the host club.

"Sky-chan!" Mitskuni shouted, having spotted me from across the room. Faster than I could have imagined, he was across the room and his arms were wrapped around my neck. "I'm so so so so so glad you're here! I forgot to get your phone number and Takashi said I could just ask tomorrow but that's so long from now so I'm really glad you're here!"

I just say there blankly, not quite knowing how to respond to the sudden bombardment. All eyes in the room were on us and not all of them were friendly. It seemed like Mitskuni had his fair share of fans, and they didn't take too kindly to his familiarity with me.

"Mitskuni, now is not the time." A deeper voice said quietly from behind us. I turned and had to crane my neck up to look at Takashi, he was so tall.

"But Takashiiiii."The short blonde whined, turning on the puppy dog eyes. He reminded me of Kei, maybe that's why I was so comfortable around him. He was childlike and far from intimidating.

"It's no problem." I interrupted with a smile, pulling out my smartphone.

"Yay! Now I can text you all the time!" Mitskuni cheered, eagerly pulling out his own phone and inputting my number. "You have to come sit with us Sky-chan!"

"Um." I looked to Haruhi who was watching the situation with amusement. I didn't want to be rude.

"Feel free SkyLynn-san." She said with a dazzling smile that caused the girls sitting next to me to squeal. Definitely cute.

I didn't even have a chance to respond before Mitskuni was dragging me across the room. He was a lot stronger than what he looked. Even though the hold he had on my hand wasn't painful in the slightest, I could feel the strength beneath them.

Lost in my own fascination at his strength, I stopped concentrating on my steps, a mistake considering the height of my heels and the pace I was being dragged at. I went to take another step, but because I wasn't paying attention, I placed too much pressure on the heel of my shoe. The heel skidded and I tried to balance myself, but Mitskuni wasn't paying attention to me, instead jabbering on about the different types of cake we would eat. He ignorantly kept walking and pulling me along, succeeding in propelling me forward.

Great, now I was going to fall in front of all these people on my first day of school. Every girl present was already glaring at me and next they would get a look up my skirt. I threw my free arm out in front of me and closed my eyes tight, bracing for the ineviteable, the reminder that I was wearing cute underwear today my only comfort.

A small squeak slipped past my lips when what felt like a steel cable wrapped itself around my waist and jerked my backwards. The room went silent; if I thought all eyes were on my before, there was no doubt about it now.

My back was pressed against something, well, more like someone. The blush on my face was probably hot enough to start a fire.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kyoya jotting something down in that black notebook of his.

"You need to be more careful Mitskuni." A deep voice stated and my blush deepened, if that were even possible, at the feeling of Takashi's chest rumbling as he spoke.

"Sky-chan, I'm so sorry!" Mitskuni cried, quite literally. He ran up to me, tears streaming down his face and threw his arms around my neck. If glares could start fires I would have been burned to a crisp.

"It's okay Mitskuni-senpai." I comforted, placing my hand on his head in an attempt at comfort. Takashi still had an arm wrapped around my waist and I shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware of just how close we were and how soft my midsection was.

"Um, thank you Takashi-senpai, you can let go now." I said awkwardly, turning my head to look at his face. His dark eyes met mine and I noticed how his own cheeks had a pink tint to them.

"You be careful too, you don't have to let Mitskuni drag you around." He said, removing his arm from my waist. The whole room was staring at us.

"I wasn't dragging Sky-chan around! She wanted to come east cake, I was just leading the way!" Mitskuni protested, unwrapping his arms from my neck to pout at his cousins.

From my spot in-between, the cousins I vaguely heard Kyoya talking to himself while jotting something down, something about love. Today had been a day, that was for sure.

* * *

After eating more cake than I probably should have, I'm a stress eater what can I say, and all the girls were gone from the room, I finally felt like I could breathe again.

"They're extremely exhausting," Haruhi said from my right. "But they're an alright group."

"So SkyLynn-chan, how did you enjoy our little club?" Tamaki questioned eagerly, eyes alight with excitement for my response.

"It was okay I guess." I responded quickly without thinking, something I had a tendency to do. It was a bad habit, I did a lot of speaking without thinking, pair that with my sarcastic humor and that lead to people getting offended more than once.

Tamaki's eyes went from bright with excitement to downtrodden with sadness in an instance and they next thing I knew he was sulking in the corner, curled into a ball.

"Don't mind him, he gets like that when he hears something he doesn't like." Haruhi said with a sigh, rolling her eyes. Still, I felt bad. Despite our earlier altercation when I thought he was a womanizer, the boy had been nothing but nice to me.

"I just mean I don't have any experience with a club like this Tamaki-senpai, I'm sure this host club is no doubt top tier." His mood flipped in an instance once again.

"You are too kind SkyLynn-chan; I do my best to ensure that every guest enjoys themselves fully." Tamaki was back to his bubbly self again; he could almost give a person whiplash with how fast his moods changed.

"We still need to figure out who's going to bring SkyLynn-san home." Kyoya interrupted, a glare in his glasses.

"Why I shall of course, I'm the one who suggested it after all!" Tamaki exclaimed, flashing a charming smile.

"No way Tama-chan! Takashi and I will bring Sky-chan home!" Mitskuni stated, a pink bunny clutched in his hands.

"Realistically it makes more sense for Hunny-senpai and Mori-senapi to escort SkyLynn-chan home as it's on their route home anyways. You'd be going a ridiculous amount out of your way to bring her home Tamaki." Kyoya rationalized, causing Tamaki to sulk. "Of course, it's her own choice on who she wants to bring her home."

Tamaki perked up, smiling at me eagerly. Mitskuni grabbed my hand in his and gave me the same puppy dog look he gave to Takashi earlier. As if my mind wasn't already made up. I would never make anyone go out of their way for me so Mitskuni and Takashi were the obvious choice.

"I'm sorry Tamaki-san, but I'll have to go with Mitskuni-senpai and Takashi-senpai if they don't mind."

"Yay!" Mitskuni shouted, jumping up and down in excitement while Tamaki sulked.

We all said our goodbyes and soon enough I was in a limo, sandwiched between Mitskuni and Takashi at the formers insistence.

"So, why'd you come to Japan Sky-chan?" He questioned, hugging the pink bunny to his chest.

"Mitskuni, don't be rude." Takashi warned and I blushed as his shoulder bumped against mine.

"It's fine, really." I said, shooting the taller male a smile. "My mom's getting remarried, though I'm sure you had to already know that. I seem to have been the talk of the school apparently."

"Yeah, I heard the talk but I don't like listening to gossip, I'd rather hear it directly from the person!"

The more I hung around the short blonde the more I liked him. He was honest, it was a refreshing trait. I absentmindedly rubbed my left wrist and he gasped.

"Do you have a tattoo Sky-chan?!"

"Oh, yeah." I replied sheepishly, pulling up the sleeve to my blouse so he could have a better view. I hadn't had it for very long, only a few months. I saved up for months to get it. It wasn't that big, about twice the size of a quarter, give or take a little. It was a yingyang symbol with a semicolon in place of the two dots.

"That's so cool!" He shouted and I blushed. "Did it hurt?"

"Not really, it wasn't pleasant though. It was more uncomfortable than anything, like dull bee stings."

I looked up at Takashi and saw him staring hard at my arm, though I could tell he wasn't looking at the tattoo. My heart leapt to my throat and I inched my sleeve down, covering my scars again. I didn't hide them, I wasn't ashamed, they were a part of me, it was just uncomfortable when people I didn't know saw them. Seeing them led to questions and judgement, both things I didn't enjoy dealing with.

The limo stopped and when I looked out of the window I realized we arrived back at Arashi's house.

"Thank you so much for bringing me home Mitskuni-senpai and Takashi-senpai." I said, lowering my head in gratitude.

"It's no problem Sky-chan! Really, we can bring you home every day if you want!" Mitskuni looked delighted at the prospect, I couldn't just tell him no outright.

"Well, we'll have to see about that." I replied with a small laugh. The driver opened the door but before I could get out, Takashi slid out. I was confused for a second before he offered me his hand and my confusion melted into shyness. Tentatively, I grabbed his hand and I felt the same strength there I did with Mitskuni, though while Mitskuni's didn't stna dout, Takashi's calmed me, made me feel protected almost.

"Thank you Takashi-senpai." I said shyly, not able to meet his eyes as he helped me out the limo.

I felt a warm hand rest itself on my head and the blush on my cheeks darkened. "See you tomorrow."

When the limo was gone from my sight finally felt like I could breathe. That was probably the weirdest, most exhausting first day of school anyone's ever had in the history of history. My Jacuzzi tub was definitely calling my name.

* * *

 **A/N: Redone.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new**_

 _ **Girls Like Girls; Hayley Kikyo**_

* * *

It was worse than I imagined. Maybe not as bad as it could have been, but not good enough to be excited about. Yellow was _not_ my color.

"You look great Sky." Mom snickered, trying -and failing- to hide her laughter, which earned her a glare in response, only prompting her to laugh more. My new uniform was waiting for me when I got back to Arashi's home. Just as I had thought, the yellow, pastry looking dresses that the girls were wearing happened to be the uniform. It seemed absolutely ridiculous, but what wasn't ridiculous about my new school.

"I never thought I'd say it, but I miss khakis." I groaned, staring at my reflection. I was probably being overdramatic, the dress actually complimented my body type, cinching at the waist and flaring at the hips. It slimmed me down for sure. The puffy shoulders and clunky shoes are what really bothered me.

"Do you?" Mom questioned and I heard the seriousness in her voice.

"I can live without them." I responded immediately, and even if I couldn't, well, I would. No matter how much I missed homw, how much I wanted to be back in Louisiana, I'd never admit it. There was no way I would be the reason my mom pushed aside her own happiness again.

"I made a new friend." I said, opting to change the subject. "Her name's Haruhi, she's a year younger than me I think."

Mom's face immediately lit up.

"A friend or a _friend_." She asked and I rolled my eyes at the suggestive smirk on her face.

"A friend."

"When do I get to meet this _friend_."

"Never if you keep saying 'friend' like that."

"Oh, come on Sky! You know that I have to tease you."

"I'm well aware Mother." Something soft hit the back of my head and I whipped around, hands on my hips. "Shouldn't you be out at a fancy restaurant gossiping with fancy ladies about who's the fanciest?"

"Darn you're right, I'm late to dinner with all my nonexistent friends."

"Not my fault you don't have any friends." I managed to catch the pillow aimed at my head that time and threw it back, the both of us laughing. This was why I was in Japan, why I traveled across the world, why I left behind my friends and my life, to see my mom like this. Happy, smiling, sober.

"Really though, invite Haruhi over, her parents too, I want to meet them. Maybe I can be friends with her parents and we can go eat fancy dinner."

"Mom I met her today, chill. Let me get to know her a little better before I introduce her to my crazy mother. I have to be sure you won't scare her off." I teased, plopping myself in her lap and wrapping my arms around her neck.

"Your friends always love me!" She protested, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Jenna loves you, that's about it." I pointed out, resting my head on her shoulder.

"You love me too."

"Ya got me there."

"And Jenna is your only friend."

"Shut up."

* * *

"Dinner?" Haruhi repeated and I immediately regretted my decision to bring up the topic. It was a horrible idea, we barely knew each other.

"Forget it, it's stupid, we've only known each other for like a week, I don't know why-"

"No!" Haruhi interrupted, laughing. "It's just that my dad told me to invite you and your mom to dinner when I told him about you."

It took a minute for me to process what my new friend had said, but when it did I was in stitches.

"I think our parents will get along." I commented as our laughter died down.

"I think you're right. I should warn you though, my dad is a little strange." Haruhi said sheepishly and I looked over at her.

"Haruhi-kun, from the minute I got here my life has been nothing but strange. Honestly, if your dad was normal I would be more surprised." I countered and she giggled.

"Okay, fair point. Well, my dad is a crossdresser, his name is Ryoji but his stage name is Ranka and that's what he insists on people calling him." I paused for a moment, digesting the information before nodding. It wasn't what I was expecting but it wasn't outrageous.

"Haruhi-kun, the first time I met you I was asking what pronouns you went by because I thought you were trans. Do you honestly think I'd have a problem with your dad being a crossdresser?"

"Just wanted to give you a warning." She defended and I nodded. "So how are you liking the food here? It has to be different from what you're used to."

I looked at the half-eaten bento in front of me that I had purchased from one of the multitude of shops in the cafeteria. Before moving, I tried to eat Japanese food as much as I could, just to get used to it. It wasn't bad, some things were really good, but what I wouldn't give for some crawfish, or _gumbo_.

"Definitely different, but not necessarily bad." I confessed, taking a bit of salmon. "So, when are we going to have this eventful dinner, and who's hosting it?"

"Maybe this weekend? And your house is probably more suitable, the apartment I live in is pretty small."

"Haruhi-kun, need I remind you I used to be poor."

"Sorry, I'm still not used to having someone who can relate." She laughed.

"Well, regardless, I'll ask Arashi-san about the dinner, you just have to host next time. How about Saturday?"

"I'll have to double check with my dad, but I don't have plans." Haruhi and I sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the nice weather outside and just the presence of each other. I liked that neither of us felt the need to fill the silence, we could just let it be.

"Excuse me." A soft voice said, grabbing me and Haruhi's attention. A pretty girl with long, blonde hair was standing in front of us, an angelic smile on her face. She was cute. "You're Chiasson-san, correct?"

"Um, yeah, yes, that's me." I stammered, immediately kicking myself. Pretty girls had that effect on me.

"Hi, I'm Hayami Nakahara, the current captain of the Ouran Volleyball Club, Suoh-sensei told me you are an exceptionally talented volleyball player and we recently had a spot become available. I was hoping you would be willing to join, or at least come to one of our practices." I didn't know what to say. Every time I thought I was done being surprised something else happened. "I know it's a lot to process so I could find you tomorrow if you'd like."

Hayami flashed a smile that made my face light up bright red. She aesthetically was the opposite of my type, she was short, blonde, modelesque, but there was something about her that drew me in. She seemed to be having the same effect on Haruhi.

"Chiasson-san?" Hayami prompted after a minute, breaking me out of my thoughts and only causing me to blush more. The blonde laughed and I looked down at the ground in embrassment.

"I-I'd love to join the team, I've missed volleyball." I replied, shyly looking up at the girl. She clapped her hands together excitedly before reaching down and grabbing my hands in hers.

"That's wonderful! You'll be a great fit to the team. Let's trade phone numbers and I'll text you about practice." After fumbling with my phone and finally managing to exchange numbers, Hayami grabbed my hands again. "I can't wait to get to know you better Chiasson-san!"

Haruhi and I didn't talk for a few minutes, both of us digesting what had just happened.

"You're still blushing." Haruhi finally pointed out and I covered my face, blush only intensifying at her laugh.

"So are you." I shot back and it was her turn to be embarrassed.

"So, the volleyball club huh?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Looks like it. Are you gonna come support me at my matches?" I questioned, the blush finally leaving my face.

"If you want me there." I rolled my eyes.

"Haruhi-kun, you're the only friend I have here, of course I'll want you at my matches."

"Then I'll be there." Haruhi paused. "You look great in that dress by the way."

"Shut up, not all of us can pretend to be boys."

* * *

 **A/N: Redone.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**It was enchanting to meet you.**_

 _ **Enchanted; Taylor Swift**_

* * *

The minute I stepped into the gym, despite having never stepping foot in it, I felt at home. Maybe it was the smell, the sound of shoes squeaking, or just the sight of the volleyball net, but for this first time since coming to Japan, I felt completely at ease.

"Chiasson-san!" Hayami shouted from across the gym, having noticed me awkwardly standing in the doorway. I smiled and began walking in her direction as she motioned me forward. The other girls were staring at me, appraising me, it made the walk over even more embarrassing. "Everyone, this is SkyLynn Chiasson, the one Suoh-sensei told me about."

I waved at the group of girls, still staring at me. There was a minute of silence before a short, brunette girl stepped towards me.

"Hi! I'm Emiko Hirose, it's so nice to meet you Chiasson-san!" She chirped happily, bowing. One by one, the other girls introduced themselves.

"Yo, my name is Katsumi Okada, nice to meet ya!" A tall, lanky girl with long, black hair greeted.

"Yoshino Iseri. A pleasure to meet you." A soft-spoken girl with long brown hair and glasses said, not looking up from the ground.

The last girl, tall and lean with short, spiky black hair, stood in the back, her arms crossed defiantly. Hayami was staring at her reproachfully, but the girl didn't budge.

"That gloomy girl is Reiko Sanda, she can be a bit harsh, especially to girls she thinks are cute, but you get used to her." Hayami smiled, looping her left arm around my right and I tried, and failed, not to blush. Reiko shot Hayami a hard look before turning her head away.

"It's nice to meet you all." I said softly, still feeling awkward around the strangers.

"Alright girls, let us break up into two groups, we'll continually alternate so everyone can get a chance to play with Chiasson-san."

I was nervous, I was so nervous. Volleyball was my sport, it was the one thing I was good at, but what if I got on the court and choked? It had been about two months since I even stepped onto a court, my life had been so busy with the move here that I hadn't had time. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of these people. They obviously needed me on this team, there were six team members needed to play, and excluding me they only had five.

My first group consisted of me, Hayami, and Reiko. Perfect, I got to embarrass myself in front of the cute girl who wanted me on the team and the other cute girl who probably already hated me. The other team served first and my nerves had reached an all-time high.

The minute the ball was in the air, everything else fell away. It didn't matter that I was in another country, that I was surrounded by strangers, this was who I was, where I belonged.

"Mine!" I shouted, lunging into action as the ball soared across the net. My wrist connected with the ball and the stinging sensation was so familiar I could have started crying right then and there. I had missed this more than I realized.

The three of us worked like a well-oiled machine. There were a few kinks once the groupings began to change, but it was quickly ironed out. By the end of practice, I was happier than I had been in a long time.

"You were great Sky-chan!" Emiko cheered, running up and hugging me despite only meeting a few hours ago. I hesitated before returning the hug, a laugh bubbling to the surface.

"We'll definitely make it to championships now!" Katsumi shouted, jumping up and down in excitement.

"That would truly be wonderful." Yoshino commented, a shy smile on her face.

"I knew you would be a perfect fit SkyLynn-san." Hayami complimented. "Is it alright if I call you that?"

I paused for a second, confused, before realizing she switched to my first name. That was a sign of familiarity if I remembered correctly.

"Of course! Um…is it alright if I call you Hayami-san?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" The blonde laughed. My gaze shifted to Reiko, standing apart from the rest of us. Our eyes met and hers widened in surprise at being caught staring and an almost unnoticeable blush dusted across her face before she whipped around, crossing her arms.

What was that about?

"Haya-chan!" A feminine voice called from across the gym and we all turned to see the source of the voice. A cute girl with black hair was waving from the doorway.

"I'll see you all tomorrow then." Hayami said, waving us goodbye before skipping over to the girl.

"Who is that?" I asked to no one in particular.

"That's Aiko, Hayami's girlfriend." Emiko responded as we watched the two girls embrace. My eyes widened in mild shock before a smile spread across my face.

"They're cute." I commented. "I guess I should get going too, it was nice meeting all of you, I look forward to playing together."

I wasn't surprised Hayami had a girlfriend. She was beautiful, of course she did. If anything, it made me happy to see a same-sex couple. I knew the Japanese weren't as accepting of the lifestyle.

"Chiasson-san!" Someone called from behind me, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around and was surprised to see Reiko standing in front of me.

"Sanda-san, is something wrong?" I asked, puzzled as to why the girl who hadn't spoken a word to me the whole practice was chasing after me. Her face lit up a bright red and she seemed to be struggling for words as she looked down at me.

"You, um, you did really good today." She finally said lamely, immediately bringing her hand to her face.

"T-Thanks, so did you." I said, not really knowing what else to say. We stood in silence for a beat and I took the opportunity to really look at Reiko. She was cute, not in the same way as Hayami, but still extremely attractive. While Hayami was soft, gentle, and cute, Reiko seemed sharped, harder, she had more of a 'bad boy' vibe. Maybe not at the moment, but it was there.

"Do you- do you think we could exchange phone numbers?" She finally asked, face a bright red. This was so different than my first impression of her that I was a little dumbstruck.

"Sure! Yeah!" I finally answered, coming to my senses. I pulled out my phone and we exchanged numbers.

"I'll…talk to you later then?" I didn't know if it was a question or a statement as I met Reiko's dark eyes, but I felt the need to respond regardless.

"Definitely." With an almost shy smile, Reiko turned and walked back to the gym.

I had to tell Haruhi about this.

* * *

"What?" Haruhi laughed as I recounted my day, sprawled out on my bed, already feeling the repercussions of not exercising in so long.

"Yeah, I was just so confused, like what got into her?" I asked, petting Wasabi absentmindedly.

"It sounds like she likes you."

My heart skipped a beat. The was impossible.

"You have lost your mind Haruhi-kun." I stated, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of my bed. "Besides, we thought Hayami liked me and she is in a committed relationship."

"Fair point."

"I'm just not gonna read anything into this, this is honestly the last thing I need." I confessed, putting my hair into a bun.

"Also a fair point." There was a shout in the background and Haruhi sighed. "And my dad wants to know what he should wear Saturday."

"My mom is having the same dilemma, which is strange because I don't think she's ever had this problem before. I would say casual, I'll probably be in leggings and a t-shirt. It's just dinner."

"Good, I don't like dressing up."

There was a knock on my door so I shouted a quick 'come in'.

"Dinner is ready SkyLynn-sama." Misa said with a bow.

"Thank you, Misa-san." And she was gone.

"Was that?" Haruhi asked, not even finishing her sentence.

"A maid, yeah, believe me, it doesn't get any less strange."

"Are you _sure_ casual is fine?"

"This dinner is going to be causal for my sake Haruhi-san. I should probably head downstairs, see ya tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow."

With a groan, I stood up and began heading downstairs. I checked my messages and smiled when I saw I had one from Mitskuni.

Mitskuni: _Sky-chaaaaaaan, come visit the host club! I miss you!_ ಥ ___ ಥ

Me: _I see you every day in class mitskuni-senpai_

Mitskuni: _It's not the same! I miss you & so does mori! come visit us! (o;TωT)o_

 _Me: Fine, I'll come by tomorrow_

Mitskuni: o((*^▽^*))o

* * *

 **A/N: Redone.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**When I see your face**_

 _ **There's not a thing that I would change**_

 _ **Cause girl you're amazing**_

 _ **Just the way you are**_

 _ **Just the Way You Are; Bruno Mars**_

* * *

I didn't want to move. I didn't think I could move even if I wanted to, which I didn't. The repercussions for being inactive for two months were even harsher than I imagined. Everything hurt. Muscles I forgot I even had hurt. Today was not going to be fun.

With a pained groan, I slowly sat up, feeling the pull of my sore muscles with every little movement. Definitely not gonna be fun.

"SkyLynn-sama, I've brought your coffee." A soft voice called from behind my door.

"You can come in Misa-san." I called, grimacing as I swung my legs over the side of the bed, Wasabi stretching out before curling up against my thigh. Misa gracefully strode in and placed the tray on my vanity before standing in front of me, hands clasped in front of her.

"Is something the matter SkyLynn-sama?" She questioned, her expression never changing. In fact, her expression never changed. It was something I had begun to notice; Misa was a very stoic person. At first, I thought it was just a professionalism thing, but the other servants -though professional- all had distinct personalities that shined through in our interactions. Despite the fact that I interacted with Misa the most, I knew the least about her.

"I'm just super sore from practice yesterday." I admitted, clenching my jaw as I finally stood and hobbled over to my vanity.

"I can have a medicinal bath drawn for you when arrive home if you wish." The blonde woman offered and I smiled gratefully.

"That would be wonderful Misa-san, thank you." She gave a small bow before turning and striding out, closing the door behind her. I don't think having my own personal maid was something I would ever get used to. It just felt strange, and awkward. It felt wrong.

I wasn't a 'have a personal maid' kind of girl, never had been and probably never would be. It made me feel like I was someone I wasn't. As much as I enjoyed the convenience, it wasn't me. On more than one occasion I've run into trouble by trying to bring my dishes to the kitchen,or bringing my clothes to be washed.

In this home, in this life, I wasn't required to do anything other than go about my business. I didn't have to clean up after myself, I didn't even have to fill my own cup with water. I didn't have to work.

Back home I had an almost full-time job. I was pulling between thirty to thirty-five hours a week in between school and volleyball. Free time wasn't even in my vocabulary. Now, I had so much free time I didn't know what to do with all of it. Volleyball would obviously take some of it, but know I had an extra thirty hours a week of nothingness.

My phone going off distracted me and a small blush spread across my face when I saw it was from Reiko. A part of me had been waiting for her to text me since last night, but I went to sleep with nothing. I hurriedly unlocked my phone, almost dropping it in the process.

 _Good morning. This is Reiko._

It was such a normal message, but it made my heart do a little flip. I shot off an immediately reply.

 _Good morning! Have a great day at school! (*^^*)_

I wanted nothing more than to text Haruhi, but I knew she didn't a cell phone, only a home phone. Instead, I typed an excited message to Jenna.

Me: _bitch_ _guess what!_

Jenna: _omg bitch what!_

Me: _a girl asked for my number and texted me!_

Jenna: _what! omg omg OMG yes bitch! im so excited give me details!_

Me: _her names reiko, we play volleyball together, she so cute dude. literally all did was text me_

Jenna: _i'm already planning your bachelorette party, send me pics of this girl asap, you move to japan & now youre pulling hoes_

Me: _lmao TRU & will do, gotta go to school now, ily_

Jenna: _ily2_

Groaning, I finally stood up and made noises similar to those of an elderly man the whole walk to my closet. Still groaning, I grabbed my uniform and pulled it on.

The hardest part was buckling the clunky brown shoes. It just involved me to bend so much at the torso and my abs were definitely one of the sorest parts of my body. I almost shed a tear

* * *

I was bustling with excitement all day. I couldn't wait to tell Haruhi about what happened with Reiko, as insignificant as it was. My love life was quite literally nonexistent, so even the smallest development was a big one for me. Just the fact that a girl not only asked for my number but texted me was monumental.

A giant grin was present on my face when I walked into Math and Mitskuni excitedly waved at me.

"Sky-chan!"

"Good morning Mitskuni-senpai, Takashi-senpai." I chirped, taking my place next to the smaller of the pair.

"You're so happy today! Did you have cake for breakfast?" Mitskuni pried, bouncing in his seat.

"No, it was just a good morning." I replied, placing my phone on the table as I pulled out my laptop.

"Who's Reiko?" Reached my ears and I almost dropped my laptop in my panic.

"Where'd you hear that name?"

"They texted you." My cheeks blazed a bright red and I snatched my phone away. "Are they the reason you're so happy this morning?"

Despite his childish nature, Mitskuni seemed to be a sly little fox.

"She's a girl I play volleyball with." I admitted, opening my phone to look at the message, cheeks still red.

 _You too._

Disappointment coursed through me at the short response. There was nothing for me to continue the conversation with. However, I was still elated that she texted me back. She could have just left me on read.

"Sooooo, is she the reason you're so happy?" He pried, causing my cheeks to light up again.

"I-I think class is starting."

* * *

The minute I stepped into the second library, I made a beeline for my friend. I plopped down in front of her, a goofy grin on my face and she arched an eyebrow in response.

"Reiko texted me this morning." I gushed, doing my best to respect the library and keep my voice down.

"What did she say?" Haruhi played along. I hadn't known the girl for very long, but I did know 'girl talk' wasn't her forte.

"Good morning." I said, smile still present and Haruhi snickered.

"That's it?"

"Well, she also said, 'this is Reiko' and I texted her back saying to have a good day at school and she replied 'you too'."

"And that's it?" She asked and I nodded my head, curls flying forward and getting in my face.

"I know it's not a lot but this is more than I've ever gotten." I admitted, pulling out my laptop. "We can talk about it more at lunch so I can properly gush. Wanna compare homework?

* * *

Walking with Haruhi, bentos in hand, I spotted Reiko. She was deep in conversation with Hayami, neither of them noticing me. Reiko had her head in her hands and Hayami was laughing.

"That's Reiko, the one next to Hayami." I whispered to Haruhi. "I'm gonna go say hi."

The closer I got, the more I could pick up tidbits of their conversation.

"I said 'you too' Hayami-chan! 'You too'. She sends me a cute message and that's all I can muster up. I spent so long trying to think of something cool to say I was late!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself Reiko-chan, I'm sure SkyLynn-san won't hold it against you."

They were talking about me. Oh my god. I froze in my steps, Reiko was talking about our messages to Hayami.

"Ugh, she's just really cute. I thought I was gonna pass out just asking her for her number, it was after a full practice and she still looked cute. How does anyone look cute after a full practice?"

Oh god. She thought I was cute. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. My poor heart wasn't prepared for this. As I'm about to go into cardiac arrest, Hayami looked up and we make eye contact. Her face lit up.

"SkyLynn-san!" She said loudly causing Reiko to literally jump in her seat. She whipped around, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights and her cheeks cherry red.

Unable to escape the situation, I approached the pair, a nervous smile on my face.

"Hey, I saw the both of you and thought I'd come over and say hi." I said, unable to make eye contact with Reiko in fear of my own cheeks lighting up, not like she was giving me the opportunity, keeping her eyes trained on her lunch.

"Why don't you come sit with us?" Hayami suggested easily and I noticed Reiko's entire body tense.

"Maybe some other time, my friend is waiting for me, but thank you! I'll see you both at practice tomorrow."

"Okay, bye SkyLynn-san!" Reiko stayed silent as I walked away. The minute I was in arm's reach of Haruhi I grabbed her arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. She was not going to believe what just happened.

* * *

 **A/N: Redone.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you.**_

 _ **Loretta Young.**_

* * *

"Tama-?" I went to ask but cut myself off when I saw the blonde was already surrounded by a gaggle of girls. Class had only ended a few minutes ago, my classmates moved fast.

"Did you need something SkyLynn-san?" Kyoya asked and I turned toward the black-haired male.

"Oh, yes, I was wondering just what time your club activities began? I kind of just stumbled in randomly last time." I laughed sheepishly, one hand behind my head.

"We open our doors thirty minutes after school lets out. Will you be joining us today, Princess?" I blinked owlishly for a second at the change in Kyoya's attitude. He tended to stay in the shadows so it was easy to forget he was a host as well.

"I will be, Mitskuni-senpai insisted on it."

"Well, I won't spoil the surprise, but you're in for a treat today. I do hope that perhaps you will consider spending some of your visit with me." Faster than I could react, Kyoya reached down and grabbed my left hand, bringing it to his face to plant a gentle kiss on it. He smiled, and then he was gone. A blush spread across my face instantly.

Kyoya certainly knew how to play the part.

* * *

Staying true to my word, I found myself walking to 'Music Room Three' after working on my homework in one of the libraries. I didn't know what to expect, Kyoya said I was in for treat. What in the world could that mean.

When I swung open the doors to the music room, my face lit up a bright red.

"Welcome."

They. Were. All. Shirtless. And not just that, why did the room look like the fucking tropics? How did they manage that? It had to be impossible, they had literally palm trees, and I swear I saw a fucking toucan. Oh my god.

"Sky-chan!" Mitskuni cheered, flinging himself at me and wrapping his arms around my neck. Oh god SkyLynn, pull it together, they're just shirtless, what's the big deal. They only transformed the room into the south tropics, that's not crazy.

It was insane. It even felt like the tropics, pleasantly toasty compared to the chill of early spring outside.

"Hello Mitskuni-senpai." I greeted almost robotically as he dragged me to his table.

"I'm so happy you came! Don't I look cute in my outfit?" He asked, letting go of my hand to twirl around.

"Y-Yes." I answered, embarrassed at the sudden question.

"What about Mori?" He asked excitedly, pointing to the taller male who was standing behind us. My face lit up. I knew Takashi was a member of the kendo club, all that training had most definitely paid off.

"Um, y-yeah." I replied shyly, not able to look at the male.

"Hurry and come sit Sky-chan!" Mitskuni went back to dragging me and I was grateful for the change of topic. Two girls were already sitting at his table and I took the seat in the middle.

"Ta-da!" He shouted, jumping in front of the table and spreading his arms wide.

"Hunny-kun, you're so cute!" The two girls beside me squealed and I smiled. He really was adorable.

"Hee-hee, these are Balinese flowers. We had them flown in." He said happily. "Ah, Takashi!"

Said male was walking by the table with what looked like a pineapple in his hand, but he stopped when Mitskuni said his name. The shorter male literally climbed up him like he was a tree and placed one of the flower leis around his neck.

"Now we match!"

That was the cutest shit I had ever seen. The black-haired girl seemed to have the same thought as she almost fainted.

"You're all in camellias!" Her friend said, holding on to her to keep her from falling.

"I hope you girls are coming to our dance party next week!" Mitskuni said excitedly, climbing down from Takashi and looking at us expectantly. Takashi placed the fruit on the table and began cutting it. I couldn't help myself as my eyes were drawn to the way the muscles in his arms flexed with every cut.

Oh boy.

"Of course, Hunny-kun!"

"We wouldn't miss it Hunny-kun!"

"What about you Sky-chan?" Mitskuni prompted and Takashi looked up at the mention of my name. We made eye contact and I blushed at getting caught staring.

"I- oh, um, I'll have to check with Hayami-san."

I was caught off guard for the second time that day when Takashi appeared by my side, grabbed both my hands in his much larger ones and kneeled.

"Save a dance for me?" He asked and my face lit up redder than Rudolph's nose. I was unable to speak so I merely nodded and an almost unnoticeable smile graced his lips. The girls beside me both squealed.

"Excuse me, I believe it's just about time for designee changes." A soft voice said from Haruhi's table, which wasn't that far from ours.

"Oh, already?" The brunette to my right asked as Takashi stood up.

"Oh no! I don't want you girls to leave!" Mitskuni cried, unshed tears forming in his eyes. "Promise me you'll see me again tomorrow?"

"Of course, Hunny-kun!" They squealed simultaneously.

"I've made up my mind, I'm going to make you my new favorite." The same voice from before said and I turned to look at my friend. The girl had her hand under Haruhi's chin, tilting her head up and gazing down at her.

Interesting.

* * *

"C'mon guys! We only have a month before our first game!" Hayami shouted as Emiko dove for the ball. It went back up into the air and Yoshino set it up for me. My hand hit the ball hard and Katsumi tried to reach it before it hit the ground but was a second too slow.

"Yes!" I cheered, jumping up in excitement as Emiko wrapped her arms around my waist.

"You're amazing SkyLynn-chan!" She praised and I glowed at her words.

"Okay, let's switch the teams up. SkyLynn, Reiko, and Katsumi, Yoshino and Emiko with me, let's go." One thing I learned about Hayami was that she was an angel off the court, but when it came to practice, she took it very seriously. She was extremely passionate about volleyball.

Also, it didn't take long for her to drop the honorific from my name. It was a sign of familiarity and I was honored she thought us good enough friends to no longer use it. I think it was common within clubs, I noticed the host club guys seldom used them when talking to each other.

"Let's get 'em guys." I smiled to my taller teammates.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Katsumi shouted and Reiko nodded, a blush on her face.

Hayami served and the ball came soaring at us. I knew I was at a disadvantage when it came to volleyball because of my height, I only reached 5'3, and barely. Back home I was the shortest one on the team and the same went here, though Emiko was only like half an inch taller than me at most. What I lacked in height I had to make up for in speed and power.

"Mine!" I shouted, the ball making contact with my wrists as I sent it to Katsumi. She hit it up and I raced forward, planting my feet on the ground and jumping as I hit the ball down. However, Hayami was waiting for me and the ball bounced back at us as she blocked it.

Reiko saved it from hitting the ground and I huffed in frustration. This time I set the ball up, sending it to Katsumi and she slammed it down, breaking past Hayami, but this time Emiko managed to get it just in time.

Yoshino set the ball up for Hayami and she sent it rocketing towards us. Hayami had a lot of strength for someone who looked so innocent. The ball hit my wrist hard and I winced in pain. Unfortunately, it hit my wrist at the wrong angle and flew out of bounds.

Dammit.

"Good job, team, that's all for today." Hayami said, back to her angelic demeanor as I rubbed my wrist, everyone vacating the court.

"Are you okay SkyLynn-san?" Reiko asked, looking down at me with her eyebrows scrunched in concern.

"Yeah, that last one just hurt more than I expected." I replied with a smile.

"Can I?' She asked, gesturing awkwardly to my wrist and I held it out to her. Her cool fingers felt great against my reddened skin and I winced when she pressed down on it. "I'm sorry!"

"No, you're fine, it's just a little tender."

"You should probably ice it tonight, Hayami has a tendency to get carried away." Reiko suggested and I nodded.

"Will do." I replied with an awkward smile. I didn't know how to act around Reiko after overhearing her conversation with Hayami. We still texted occasionally, but she never flirted with me, unless I was too dense to realize it which was likely.

Haruhi had no advice to give me on the situation and Jenna's advice was to sleep with her so I was on my own.

"So...SkyLynn-san" Reiko started, face a bright red as she stared at the ground, fidgeting with her hands. "I was wondering..."

She trailed off and I waited expectantly, my heart pounding so loud I was sure she could hear it.

"Would you...maybe...want to have dinner...with me?" By the end of her sentence she was speaking so low I could barely make out what she was saying, but I managed to hear the question.

My face was scarlet.

"Are you asking me out on a date Reiko-san?" I asked shyly, now the one fidgeting with my hands.

"N-No! I mean yes! I mean, oh god, it's okay if you don't want to, or if you don't like girls like that, I just-"

"Yes." I interrupted and her mouth snapped shut.

"What?"

"Yes, I'd like to get dinner with you Reiko-san." I said shyly, peeking up at her and seeing her face and interesting shade of red.

"Oh." She replied dumbly, eyes wide in surprise before a grin spread across her face. "Wow, okay, wow. Thank you. How about this weekend?"

"Ah, I have plans with Haruhi-kun this weekend, but I'm free next weekend."

"Great! Um, I'll text you, okay?"

"Sounds good." She grinned at me one last time before turning and practically sprinting out of the gym. When she opened the door, I saw the rest of the team standing there in anticipation, and all of them cheering when Reiko no doubt told them the news.

I laughed before pulling out my phone to text Jenna.

* * *

After club activities, I made my way back to the host club to catch a ride with Takashi and Mitskuni. Ever since the first day they brought me home it had become routine and I was so grateful.

"I have something to tell you." I whispered excitedly to Haruhi as I took a seat next to her.

"Something good must have happened." She replied with a smile as I bounced in my seat.

"I'll call you tonight."

"Sir, stop eating that commoners' ramen and come help us with the dance party planning." One of the twins said, I was still in the process of determining how to tell them apart. I had a pair of cousins who were identical twins so I knew it came down to knowing their personalities.

"Is Kasuga-hime taking a liking to Haruhi really bothering you that much?" The other twin asked.

"Her illness isn't something that just started, right?" Kyoya asked, not glancing up from his laptop.

"Illness?" Haruhi and I parroted. The girl certainly hadn't looked ill when she was flirting with Haruhi.

"Wandering host-hopping disease."

"Otherwise known as never-the-same-boy-twice disease." The twins informed.

"Usually, our regular customers designate the same host in perpetuity, but she tends to change her favorite on a regular basis." Kyoya said and I nodded. They were being a little dramatic about it, but I understood. Any time I had gone to the host club, I tended to notice the same girls with the same boys. Everyone had a type.

"Up until last time, she was with Tama-chan, right?" Mitskuni asked, holding Usa-chan tight to his chest.

"This is because he had his guest taken from him." Haruhi concluded

"It is not! That's not why!" Tamaki shouted. "I'm at the limits of my patience! Haruhi, start dressing like a girl!"

Said girl gave Tamaki a blank look and I propped my chin up with my hand. This was going to be entertaining.

"Why do you have to be so woefully popular with the girls, when you yourself are a girl?! Frankly, the only ones who know that you're a girl are in this club! Excluding, SkyLynn-chan of course."

"She's opted out of taking any gym classes."

"Attendance numbers are mixed between boys and girls, so no one can tell." The twins added.

Tamaki raced to the other side of the room and grabbed a wooden chest. He rigorously dug in it until he found what he was looking for, pulling out a large frame.

"Otou-sama...Otou-sama...wants to see you the way you were back then!"

He shoved the frame in Haruhi's face and I immediately started laughing when I saw the blown-up picture of her with long hair.

"Please don't go blowing up my photos without asking me!" Haruhi shouted angrily while I continued laughing.

"Haruhi-kun, you look so cute." I snickered and she shoved me with her shoulder.

"The more I look at this, the more I marvel at it."

"How is it that this can become that?"

"The day before the entrance ceremonies, I had some gum stuck in my hair from one of the children in the neighborhood. It was such a pain to get out that I cut if off. I didn't really care if I looked like a boy. " The more I was around Haruhi, the more I fell in love with her.

"Girls should not be referring to themselves as 'ore'!" Tamaki shouted and I was confused for a second before I processed what he was referring to. Haruhi had used 'ore', which was the masculine was to say 'I'. I need to study my Japanese more. "Okaa-san! Haruhi is using dirty words!"

"Who's Okaa-san?" One of the twins asked.

"From a club position standpoint, I guess I am." Kyoya responded. Tamaki was strange.

"Well, after all, I can pay back more of my debt before I graduate by being a designated host than I can as an errand boy." Haruhi tried to reason.

"By the way, do you have any experience in social dancing? Either of you?" The other twin asked, looking between Haruhi and myself. "It's essential for the party."

Oh boy.

"Huh? No, but the party has nothing to do with my quota, right?" Oh, poor Haruhi. "I'm not all the interested in going to events, so if I could be excused..."

Tamaki sprung up. "No, social dances are a common practice for a gentleman. If you want to walk to path of the host that badly, then you have to show us how far you're willing to go, Haruhi-kun. If you cannot master the waltz in one week and demonstrate it to us at next week's party, then I will expose the fact that you are a girl!"

"What about you Sky-chan? Do you know how to dance?" Mitskuni asked excitedly.

"A little, yes. My mom and I took cotillion classes before coming here and they went over the basics of dancing. I'll probably need some practice before the dance though." I admitted.

"It would be my pleasure to help you SkyLynn-san." Kyoya offered, finally looking away from his notebook to smile at me. Something felt wrong about it though, it felt too forced, too fake.

"Thank you, Kyoya-san." I thanked regardless.

"Our car's here!" Mitskuni shouted. "See you guys tomorrow!"

I followed the cousins outside, too lost in my thoughts to pay attention to Mitskuni. I didn't notice him reach back and grab my wrist before it was too late.

"Ow!" I yelped, not expecting the sudden pain as he latched onto my bruised wrist.

"Sky-chan?' Mitskuni questioned softly. I held my wrist to my chest and let out a hiss.

Takashi gently grabbed my arm and pulled it away from my body to inspect the injury.

"Oh no! I hurt Sky-chan! I'm so sorry!" Mitskuni cried, tears streaming down his face and arms wrapped around my waist.

"What happened?" Takashi asked softly, turning my wrist over in his hands.

"I'm fine, it's just bruised from volleyball, sorry from overreacting." I said, trying to laugh it off. However, Takashi wouldn't let go of my wrist. "Umm, Takashi-senpai?"

After a second, he brought his face down to my wrist and placed a gentle kiss on the inside of it.

What the fuck.

Moving to Japan wasn't good for my poor little heart because I swear these people were going to give me a heart attack. I couldn't take it.

Jesus Christ.

My face burned as Takashi finally let go of my wrist and began walking like nothing happened.

* * *

The next day was met with me and Haruhi getting our dance lessons.

"Good, Haruhi-kun. On 'slow', bring your feet together. The gentleman always leads. Be sure to look at the girl you're dancing with." The girl from yesterday instructed, Kanako I think her name was.

"Right!" Haruhi replied flustered as they spun around.

"You seem to be a natural SkyLynn-san." Kyoya praised as we traipsed around the room.

"Thank you Kyoya-kun, you are quite light on your feet as well." I complimented. A sudden thud captured our attention and I laughed when I saw Haruhi had fallen on top of Kanako.

"I'm so sorry Kasugazaki-san!" She apologized quickly.

"That's all right, Haruhi-kun." The girl replied, wrapping her arms around Haruhi's neck to bring her closer.

"So, I'm assuming you will be able to make our dance?" Kyoya asked as we went back to dancing.

"Ah, yes, we aren't having practice on account of it. A few of my teammates are going to be attending as well."

"How are you liking Japan? You must be experience quite the culture shock."

"You're right, though I seem to be struggling the most with the class change. As you probably know I come from humble origins, the lifestyle Arashi-san is providing my mother and I is entirely different." I confessed.

"But they're not married yet, correct?" Kyoya asked and I nodded.

"Not yet, my mom wanted us to live her for a while first, get our bearing and all that before the fiasco of a wedding."

That and she wanted a chance to live with him to help solidify her decision, not that I would tell Kyoya that. I did some research on the black-haired boy and I found out from Arashi that his firm did business with the Ootori's. Now I understood why Kyoya was trying to get in my good graces.

"Thank you for the practice Kyoya-san." I said when we were done.

"Anytime, Princess." He replied with a bow before walking over to Haruhi and Kanako.

"Sky-chan! Come dance with me!" Mitskuni called out and I smiled before walking over to the boy. He grabbed my hands in his, being extra careful of my bruised wrist, and began to spin me around. We both laughed happily as we continued to twirl aimlessly around the room.

"Hello, I've brought the teacups you ordered." Someone said and we stopped our spinning. I lost my balance and began to fall before Takashi steadied me and I smiled up at him.

"Thanks Takashi-senpai."

"Ah, thank you. Every item that you choose for us is popular with the girls. It's very impressive." Kyoya said to the unfamiliar boy.

"That's good to hear." He replied happily.

"Are you a dealer?" Haruhi questioned.

"I'm just a regular student. I'm wearing a uniform, see?

Konaka suddenly started laughing, though it sounded forced. "Haruhi-kun, you're so funny. Still, I can't blame you. He doesn't look like the heir to a first-class corporation, after all."

"Heir?" Haruhi repeated.

"His family business, Suzushima Trading, is a company that imports tableware. Currently, it has the top market share in the country." Kyoya educated. That made sense, I just assumed that everyone at my new school was exceedingly rich for one reason or another.

"Oh yeah?"

"Whenever anything exceptional comes in, we've asked him to send it our way." Kyoya said. "That's because we trust your eye for these things, Suzushima-kun."

"Oh no, my eyes still have a long way to go."

"Your studying abroad in England starts next month, was it?"

"Yes. Well, I'll be off."

Kanoko's mood seemed to have shifted after the sudden intrusion and she looked a bit sad. Did something happen between her and that boy?

"Are you close to that man who was just here?" Haruhi asked and I walked over to her, curious about the tableware in the box she was holding.

"Huh?! Not really, no, I'm not! My word, what are you talking about, Haruhi-kun? Now if you'll excuse me...Take care." Kanako was out of the door before anyone could say anything.

"Haru-chan!" Mitskuni cheered, latching himself onto her back. "You know what? Suzushima-kun is Kasuga-chan's fiancée."

What.

They were literally my age. How were they _engaged_?

"Kyoya, how long have you known?" Tamaki questioned, crossing his arms.

"About him being her fiancée? I do, of course, conduct general research on our customers." He said, opening his binder. "The two are childhood friends. Their engagement appears to have been arranged. It didn't seem to be information that we could use, so I just left it alone."

"Why you..."

Arranged marriage. I still couldn't believe it. Such an ancient concept and now it was so close to me, just like when the Chairman joked about it to Arashi, I knew it was only a half-joke.

"Suzushima Toru: Outstanding grades, fair social status, ordinary looks, with reliability as a strong point. If I had to fault him for anything-"

"Not much presence."

"He's faint-hearted." The twins contributed.

"In other words, he's plain. That's it." Kyoya finished, snapping his binder closed. Though they were charming when it came to girls, it seemed they were merciless when it came to boys.

"Toru-kun is a good boy. Right?" Mitskuni asked, sitting on Takashi's shoulders and his chin resting on his head.

"Yeah." He replied.

"All right then, let's examine our strategy." Tamaki said.

"Which one?" The rest of the members chorused as I looked at the tableware, it really was beautiful. Not that I was a tableware connoisseur.

"Ouran Host Club exists in order to bring happiness to the girls!" Tamaki shouted. I honestly couldn't wait to see what his plan would it. If anything, it would be entertaining.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello guys! Yes, I am still alive, surprise, surprise. I'm finally back in canon so I'm pretty excited to crank out these chapters. I went back and edited the previous chapters, mostly format wise, just a FYI. Thanks to everyone who favs, comments, follows, love you!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Isn't that how falling in love works? Some stranger appears out of nowhere and becomes a fixed star in your universe.**_

 _ **Kate Bolick**_

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Mom asked for the thousandth time as she tugged nervously on her blouse.

" _Mamá_ , look at me. I am in leggings and a t-shirt, you are more dressed up than I am. I told Haruhi this would be casual." I stressed, pulling my hair up into a bun. It was time for a haircut.

"Ah, I know _mija,_ I'm just nervous, I've never done this before." She said and I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Then think of this as a relaxed, trail run. Like I said, Haruhi and her dad are poor, just like us. Well, like we used to be. From what Haruhi told me, her dad is just as nervous about this whole thing as you."

"Jessica-sama, SkyLynn-sama, dinner preparations are complete." The head butler, Hiro, informed and I nodded.

"Thank you, Hiro-san." I smiled at the older gentleman and he bowed before retreating, a warm smile on his face. Hiro was so sweet, he was slowly but surely become like a grandfather to me. "I'm right here, you'll be fine."

"SkyLynn-sama, your guests have arrived." A blonde maid, Ai if I remembered correctly –there were so many employees here it was hard to keep track-, said softly and I grinned.

"Great! Show them to the dining room please, we'll be just a moment." The young girl nodded, bowed, and left.

"Showtime." Mom said with a nervous laugh and I squeezed her hand.

"C'mon, you'll love Haruhi." I said as we walked into the dining room.

As it turned out, we actually had two dining rooms. One was a smaller one, which was the one we had our meals at and was the official 'dining room', and there was a larger one for when parties were hosted that was the 'dining hall'. I didn't even have a dining tile back home.

"Haruhi!" I greeted when we walked into the room. Her and her father were standing around awkwardly and I grinned, I knew how that felt.

"Ah, SkyLynn." She replied with a smile. We dropped the honorifics a few days ago and it was nice not to have to worry about them. "This is my dad, Ranka."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ranka-san." I said with a polite smile. Haruhi wasn't joking about the cross-dressing thing, if I hadn't known any better, I would have just assumed he was Haruhi's mother. He was more attractive than me.

"Well aren't you the cutest thing!" Ranka exclaimed, rushing forward to gather me in his arms and press me against his chest. "My little girl has told me so much about you! I'm so glad she finally had a girlfriend to hang out with instead of all those dirty boys from the host club!"

"Otou-san!" Haruhi complained, putting her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry, I just get so carried away sometimes!" He apologized, finally letting me go and turning towards my mom.

"Ryoji, but please call me Ranka! It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Jessica, the pleasure's mine Ranka-san."

"Oh, no need for all the formalities, I feel as if we're practically family!" I watched Mom out of the corner of my eye and saw her visibly start to relax.

"I love him." I said to Haruhi as I let our parents converse.

"I know he can be a lot to take in, but his hearts in the right place."

"I think he'll be good for my mom, I know this move hasn't been easy on her. It will do her good to have a friend."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's eat!" Mom said with a laugh, arm linked with Ranka's. Definitely good for her.

"This place is amazing SkyLynn." Haruhi said as we took our seats.

"I can give you the grand tour after we're done, quick disclaimer, I might get us lost, I still have to ask for directions on occasion."

"I can't say I'm surprised." She laughed as we sat down. The minute our butts touched the chairs, the doors to the kitchen opened and a parade of maids and butlers spilled out, trays of food in their hands. I watched her eyes widen and couldn't help but laugh.

"Believe me, you don't get used to it." I confided as plates were set down in front of us. "I didn't know what either of you would like so I just asked the chefs to make something good."

"I'm sure we'll enjoy whatever is brought out Sky-chan, she is so thoughtful Jessica, I'm so happy her and Haruhi are friends." Ranka gushed.

"Is this..." I heard Haruhi begin to ask before trailing off, she was staring hard at the plate in front of her.

"Hm?"

"Is this fancy tuna?" She asked softly, and I snickered.

"Yes, I remembered you mentioning it one time, so I made sure it was put on the menu."

"What an angel! You are such a sweet girl I can't believe it!" Ranka exclaimed and I laughed.

"Thank you, Ranka-san. It's Haruhi who's the sweet one though, I don't know what I'd do without her and we've only known each other a few weeks. I think she keeps me sane."

"Yes, my little girl is amazing isn't she! At Ouran on a full scholarship, they only offer one a year and my baby got it. I am so proud!"

"She seems like a wonderful girl Ranka. I'm glad Sky found such a good friend so fast. This move hasn't been easy." Mom said, and I watched in amusement as Haruhi took her first bite of the fancy tuna.

"This is amazing." She moaned around her first bite and I giggled. "You are amazing."

After dinner, I stayed true to my word and gave Haruhi the grand tour of my new home. It was worth it just seeing her reactions to the grandness of it all.

"I thought you were joking about getting lost." Haruhi admitted as I finished getting directions back to my room from one of the maids.

"You've seen this place, it's a freaking mansion." I defended as we walked into my room.

"This is your room? How can one room be so big? Where's the practicality?" Haruhi asked in amazement.

"There is none." I replied with a shrug as I picked up Wasabi. "Haruhi, this is Wasabi, Wasabi, this is Haruhi."

"Nice to meet you Wasabi." Haruhi said seriously, taking one of my cat's paws in her hand and shaking it. We shared a look and immediately burst into giggles.

"My dog is somewhere around here, she's taken a liking to Kei for whatever reason, so she tends to stay in his room. The little traitor." I sniffed, taking a seat on my bed and motioning Haruhi to follow suit.

"Is his still avoiding you?" She asked as Wasabi crawled into her lap.

"Like to plague." I admitted with a sigh. "Like, I get it, it's not easy but you don't see me taking it out on him and Kohei. Maybe he's trying to protect his dad, I also get that, but maybe if he'd spend some time with me and Mom he'd get to know is and see we're not terrible people. Arashi and my mom are getting married no matter how much of a tantrum he throws."

I laid back on my bed and we stayed in silence for a few moments. It wasn't awkward though, it was a comfortable silence, one that neither of us needed to break.

"Soooooo, are you ready for the dance?" I asked, sitting up with a devilish grin.

"No." Haruhi groaned, this time being the one to lay back. "I just don't see why I have to go."

"To get Kanako and that boy together, duh." I replied. "Honestly, it's like something out of a bad movie. I'm starting the think my life is a bad movie, or maybe I'm just in one and I'm a side character."

"Who's the main character then?" Haruhi asked curiously.

"You obviously. Poor girl crash lands in the middle of a host club full of rich boys? Please. It's just to see which one you end up with." I teased, and she threw one of my multitude of pillows at my face.

"What about you Cinderella?"

"Hey, my mom's Cinderella, not me. I'm Cinderella's more practical daughter."

"Whatever you say...Cinderella."

* * *

"This is your first real date, huh?" Jenna asked as I laid on my bed, holding my phone above my face.

"Technically. I mean like, I went to that basketball game with Claire and we hung out, but I wouldn't consider any of that a 'date', so to say." I replied as my best friend stared at me from my phone screen.

"Are you exciiiiiiiiiiiited?" She asked with a smile and I blushed.

"I'm nerrrrvous. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to do this. My only relationship lasted two weeks." Ah yes, my first, and only, romantic encounter to date. Claire, a girl who was in my year at my small high school. We started talking, dated for two weeks, then she left me for another girl. Romantic.

"You've only been in Japan for like three weeks and you already have a date. Maybe I need to move to Japan."

"Bet. This house is big enough for you."

"Don't tempt me." Jenna sighed.

"How are things on your end? How's Gelle?" Jenna was my best friend, there wasn't any competition, but our mutual friend Angelle was a close second. I was just terrible at keeping in contact with people, so we didn't talk much, but she was always there for me when I needed a shoulder to lean on, and she was the person I went to when I was struggling with my depression. She was haunted by the same demons, so it was nice to talk to someone who understood.

"She's good, still cut free. What about you?" I sighed.

"Hanging in there. Things are actually really good, I have friends, I have money, I have a date with a hot girl, I mean what else could I want?"

"How about your best friend?"

"You got me there." I said with a sad smile, my friends freckled face matching my expression. We hadn't been friends very long, just over a year, but we were like two peas in a pod. We shared the same goofy sense of humor and she took my periods of isolation with a grain of salt. "Summer will be here before you know it, then you'll be able to come live in luxury with me for a while."

"Dude I can't wait. My expectations are so high, I want to feel like royalty."

"Okay, Princess." I smiled.

* * *

"Again Nee-san, again!" Kohei cheered as we stumbled off the long, winding slide. He immediately grabbed my hand and began dragging me up the stairs. That seemed familiar.

"Okay Kohei-kun." I said fondly. There was a park not very far from the house and I had been dying to take my new little brother. I really did love Kohei, I loved how much he looked up to me, how much he loved me. It was nice.

I sat down in front of the slide first before grabbing Kohei and pulling him into my lap, wrapping my arms around and scooching until we're going down the slide. He put his hands up, screaming and laughing as the wind blew past us and I couldn't help but join in.

When we got to the bottom and I reopened my eyes, I let out a small shriek when I saw a tall figure standing in front of the slide.

"Oh my god, Takashi-senpai, I'm sorry. Whew, you almost gave me a heart attack." I said with an awkward laugh as Kohei buried his face into my chest. He was shy around strangers.

"Sorry." He apologized with a frown.

"Ah, it's okay. Kohei-kun, this is my friend Takashi-san, Takashi-senpai, this is my little brother Kohei." I introduced, putting my face closer to Kohei's and wrapping my arms around him. He still wouldn't look at the boy in front of us, so I moved my hands to his torso. Knowing what was coming, the little boy immediately began squirming, but it was to no avail. I mercilessly attacked his sides with my fingers, tickling him as he squirmed and shrieked.

"Nee-san!" He protested in between giggles and I continued with a laugh.

"Are you going to be nice to Nee-san's friend?" I asked as I kept attacking.

"Yes!" He said breathlessly. "Yes, Nee-san!"

I stopped my assault with a smile and he jumped up from my lap.

"Hello Takashi-san. I'm Kei!" The little boy introduced with a smile. Takashi squatted down until he was eye-level with my little brother, and a warm smile lit up his face.

"Nice to meet you Kei-kun."

"Can I go and play now Nee-san." Kei turned and begged, a small pout on his face and his big brown eyes staring up at me. How could I saw no to that face?

"Yes, don't go too far though." I barely had time to say before he bounded away. I stood up with a sigh. "Wanna go swing Takashi-senpai?"

"Yeah." He followed me to the swings and we both took a seat. The swings were way too nice, they weren't rusty and didn't come out from the ground when you swung too high. Rich people.

"So, what are you doing here Takashi-senpai?" I asked as I began to swing back and forth. I loved swinging.

"Running." He answered simply and for the first time since he appeared I noticed he was in workout clothes.

"Ugh, I need to get back into running." I groaned. "It's just so haaaaard. Like I love the euphoric high when you're done, but actually doing it is torture."

I'd recently found that Takashi was a great listener. I could ramble for as long as I wanted, and he would gladly sit there and listen with no complaint.

"Nee-san! Swing, swing!" Kohei shouted excitedly, running up and me and Takashi. Before I could get up from my swing, Takashi was on his feet and putting my little brother on the swing. "Yay! Push! Push!"

Takashi gave into the little boy's commands and began lightly pushing him. Kohei's laughs rang throughout the park and I watched in adoration. Wanting to join in, I began swinging my legs back and forth. I was surprised when I felt a large hand on my back and I whipped my head around, pink dusting across my cheeks as I saw Takashi's smile.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, Takashi pushing us as we laughed in enjoyment. When the sun began to go down, I hopped off my swing and picked up an exhausted Kohei. He put his head on my shoulder and wrapped his little arms around my neck.

"Thanks for pushing us Takashi-senpai, it was fun." I said with a smile as he looked down at me.

"Yeah." A black limousine pulled up at the park and I waved to the driver in acknowledgement.

"Well, I'll see you at the dance Takashi-senpai. Bye, have a safe trip home!" I cheerily waved to the boy before adjusting Kohei in my arms and turning to walk towards the limo. After putting Kohei in his car seat, I glanced back one more time. A blush lit up my face when I made eye contact with Takashi, who was standing in the same pace as before. I hurriedly clamored into the limo, face still burning as we drove away.

* * *

"My little lambs, who have gathered here tonight, Ouran Host Club bids you a fond welcome to this dance party." Tamaki announced, the lights turning on and the orchestra taking that as their que to begin playing. I clapped demurely along with the other girls as the members bowed. They all looked amazing in their suits.

"We invite you to enjoy yourselves to your heart's content, as you dance with the Host Club members." Haruhi looked a bit nervous at that one and I grinned as Kyoya continued. "In addition, the guest who is recognized as the best dancer and is chosen as tonight's queen will receive an impassioned kiss of the cheek from the king."

Tamaki looked pleased and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Good luck to you, baby." All the girls swooned at Tamaki's words and I giggled. I wondered if he knew more English than that. It would be nice to speak my native language with someone.

With that, the party officially began.

I wandered around the room aimlessly before finding a familiar face.

"SkyLynn!" Emiko said when she spotted me, frantically waving me over to her group.

"Hey guys." I greeted; Yoshino and Hayami were also there, along with Hayami's girlfriend and a couple other girl's I recognized from school.

"SkyLynn-chan you look so cute!" Hayami squealed, doing a circle around me to get the full effect of my outfit. I blushed at the compliment. I was wearing a dark blue, off shoulder, vintage a-line dress with black lace on the top half. My heels were black as well and I left my short waves down and parted in the center. "I told Reiko she should have come, she'll be so upset she missed this now!"

My cheeks reddened at the mention of Reiko.

"So, when is your date?" Emiko asked slyly and I regretted walking over to the girls.

"Saturday." I replied. "Can we change the subject?"

"Of course, of course. SkyLynn-chan, I don't think I've formally introduced you, this is my girlfriend Aiko, she goes to Lobelia."

Lobelia was the all girl's school that Kei insisted on me attending, if I remembered correctly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Aiko said with a grin as Hayami wrapped her arms around her girlfriends' waist. How cute.

"You as well."

"Sky-chaaaaaaan!" A familiar voice called and I turned just in time to catch Mitskuni as he hurled himself at me.

"Hello Mitskuni-senpai." I grinned as he beamed up at me, arms wrapped around my torso.

"Wow! You look so pretty! Just like a princess, right Takashi?" The dark-haired male walked up behind us just to hear the question and he looked me in the eyes before smiling the smallest bit.

"Yeah."

"Come dance with me, Sky-chan!" Mitskuni all but commanded, grabbing my hand and dragging me out to the dance floor.

"Ah, see you guys later!" I shouted to my teammates as I was pulled away.

"Looks like Reiko might have some competition." I managed to hear Emiko snicker to the other girls. Were they talking about Mitskuni?

Dancing with my blonde friend couldn't really be called dancing, as just like in the music room, it consisted of us aimlessly twirling around. It was fun though, not having to worry about steps and where to put my hands. Just spinning around without a care in the world. However, there was a thing as too much spinning.

"Mitskuni." Takashi said in the nick of time. We came to a halt and Takashi had to place a steadying hand on my shoulder to keep me upright.

"Oh? Do you want a turn with Sky-chan too? Alright!" Before either of us could respond he had hopped away, having found his next dance partner to spin.

"I believe I did say I would save you a dance Takashi-senpai." I reminded with a smile.

"Yeah."

He took my right hand in his left and I placed my left hand on his waist as he placed his right on my shoulder.

"I'm apologizing ahead of time for if I step on your foot." I laughed nervously as we began our waltz.

"Just relax." He replied, looking down at me with calm expression on his face and I nodded. He was a good dance partner, he led me through the steps with no hesitation and I found myself having a really good time. There was something comforting about it too, Takashi was so much larger than me, in height and stature. It made me feel protected.

"Kasuga-chan is here." Mitskuni whispered covertly after a few minutes.

"Well then, that means that the mission is underway." Tamaki replied.

"Roger."

The mission was so ridiculous, Haruhi had filled me in and of course I wanted to be a part of it. Takashi and Mitskuni left to whisk Haruhi away and I made my way back to the changing room. I laughed when they walked in, Haruhi slung over Takashi's shoulder like a rag doll.

"You didn't have to be so high-handed." Haruhi complained.

"Never mind, just get changed." One of the twins said, shoving the clothes into her hands as Mitskuni pushed her into the changing room. I followed her in to help her get dressed.

"I'm excited to see you all glammed up." I teased as she undressed.

"Shut up." She grumbled as I helped her pull the dress over her head.

"Remember, Haruhi, your time limit is twenty minutes to the party climax. We've already called Suzushima to the adjoining classroom."

We listened to Kyoya talk as I adjusted the wig.

"Gracefully ask him what his feelings are." Mitskuni suggested as the twins worked on Haruhi's makeup, I contributed now and again but they were practically pros.

"Since this is his highness's strategy, there's something unsettling about it."

"Hey! What's the big idea, having everyone in here? Who's looking after our guests-" Tamaki scolded, flinging open the doors, but stopping short when he looked at Haruhi. I had to admit, as cute as she was as a boy, she was just as cute as a girl.

"What do you think, sir?" The twins asked proudly.

"Haru-chan, you look cute!" Mitskuni exclaimed as Haruhi tried to adjust to the heels.

"My face feels heavy, and it's hard to walk in these shoes. I don't know how you do it SkyLynn." She complained.

"All about practice." I shrugged.

"Good luck in there!" The twins cheered as she clamored away, still walking strangely.

"She's just too cute..." Tamaki muttered, absolutely love-struck.

"The funny thing is, I would have been happy to play this part." I laughed as the guy's continued watching her walk away.

"I'm aware SkyLynn-san, but when would we have another chance to get Haruhi in a dress?" Kyoya asked and when I looked up I saw a glare in his glasses. Sneaky.

* * *

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, this enjoyable evening of ours has at last come to its final song. The Host Club's last waltz falls upon this couple." Tamaki announced, lights shining upon Kanako and the boy. They really were so dramatic, it was unbelievable.

My heart warmed when he bowed, hand outreached to her. It really was like something out of a movie. I wanted to cheer when she took his hand.

Music began to play as they danced and I clasped my hands together in joy.

"May this awkward couple be blessed!" Tamaki said.

"Tonight's dance queen-"

"Is hereby declared to be Princess Kasugazaki Kanako." The twins announced and I arched an eyebrow when I saw the banana peels in their hands. They were planning something.

"Now then, the blessed kiss from the king..."

"I'm on."

"Has been switched to Fujioka Haruhi."

I laughed as Haruhi and Tamaki protested the sudden change.

 **"Kyoya-senpai said that having an 'accident' happen right at the end would be more thrilling."** They said in unison.

I watched as Haruhi walked down the steps towards Kanako.

"Say, by any chance, could this be Haruhi-chan's first kiss?" Mitskuni asked me, just loud enough for Tamaki to hear.

"Oh, it is." I answered with a mischievous smile.

"What?!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Hold that kiss!"

Tamaki moved to stop the kiss, but a haphazardly placed banana peel caused him to slip. Instead of pulling Haruhi back, he ended up pushing her forward, causing the innocent kiss on the cheek to land on the girls' lips.

All the girls watching began to squeal and I doubled over with laughter.

"No way!" I continued to laugh as Haruhi and Kanako stared at each other in surprise.

"Haru-chan's first kiss!" Mitskuni cheered from atop Takashi's shoulders.

"Y'all are great." I said to the twins as they watched in satisfaction.

" **We do what we can."**

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! I'm trying to start updating this on Sunday's, I was going to have this chapter out yesterday but my best friend drove five hours to surprise me, so I had to delay it. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think, love you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.**

 **Thomas Aquinas**

* * *

"These flowers are beautiful Kyoya-san." I complimented as I stood under one of the cherry blossom trees. "I've always seen pictures of flower viewing such as these, it's one of the things I was most excited for about moving to Japan."

Not like there were that many things I was excited about.

"I'm glad you're enjoying them SkyLynn-san. However, the flowers don't hold a candle to your own beauty." Kyoya replied with a charming smile. Due to the amount of time I spent with the Hosts, I was beginning to grow accustomed to the flirting. Compared to when I first arrived, I was able to roll with it without getting flustered.

"You're too kind Kyoya-san." Though it didn't turn me into a blushing mess, it did stroke my ego.

"I can't take it anymore! It's too fantastic!" One of the girls from the twins' table shouted.

"You have to watch, or it will go to waste. This is a rare scene!" Her friend urged. I could see the appeal for all the members of the club, except the twins. They were attractive, that was without a doubt, but the whole 'forbidden love' act was too strange for me. Maybe it was a culture thing, but I tended to stay away from them during club hours.

"You are absolutely right kyaku-sama." Kyoya interjected, walking towards the table. "As with these cherry blossoms, beauty is fleeting. There isn't another day when you will see them like this again. And so, I created this book, containing photo collections that capture the beauty of the passing days."

Kyoya pulled out a stack of magazines and my jaw dropped. What the fuck?

"Incidentally, I've prepared similar books for everyone else. In the event that you were to purchase them all together, there is a special set price."

What a businessman.

"I'll buy them!"

"All of them!"

Shaking my head, I made my way over to Mitskuni, Takashi, and Haruhi. They all looked adorable in their traditional clothing.

"Hey SkyLynn-san." Haruhi greeted as I knelt next to her.

"Hello Haruhi-kun." Within the club walls, Kyoya requested Haruhi and I try to keep our relationship more formal. It was bad for business if girls thought we had something going one because of how friendly we were. It wasn't a big deal, so we agreed.

I turned my attention to Mitskuni, whom was furiously mixing something in a small bowl. I'd read about it when studying Japanese culture, but I couldn't quite remember. Maybe matcha? From the looks on everyone's faces, I could tell the blonde was overdoing it though.

"Mitskuni," Takashi finally said. "You've lost too much."

The boy's face immediately fell when he looked inside the dish and saw only a few drops of green liquid. Uh-oh.

"Hunny-kun, I'll take it! It looks so delicious!" The brunette said hurriedly, grabbing the dish. I believe her name was Aimi.

"Yes, that's exactly the amount I wanted to have!" The darker haired girl, Hiroko added. The two of them were extremely nice, and since they visit with Mitskuni and Takashi so often, we had talked on a few occasions. They were second years as well, and we shared a class together. "You're amazing Hunny-kun! How ever did you know?"

"Really?" Mitskuni asked excitedly, perking up right away.

Haruhi sighed and I couldn't help but laugh. "You certainly look dashing in that yukata."

"It's more comfortable than I thought it would be." She admitted.

"Ah, thank you Takashi-senpai." I smiled as he offered us some of the traditional Japanese cuisine.

"Shouldn't you be on your way to practice SkyLynn-san?" Haruhi asked and I almost dropped the piece of food in my hand. I frantically pulled out my phone and my heart dropped when I saw the time.

"Oh god, Hayami is going to _murder_ me." I groaned, scrambling to my feet. "I'll see you guys later!"

* * *

While 'murder' wasn't exactly the right work, the force at which Hayami spiked the balls at me during practice made her thoughts about my tardiness very clear.

"See you all tomorrow, on time I hope!" The cheerful blonde's words sent chills up my spine as I slung my bag over my shoulder. I didn't like that side of Hayami.

"Are you okay SkyLynn-san? Hayami really made sure to punish you for being late." Reiko said, walking up to stand in front of me. My wrists definitely hurt and would probably be sore for a couple days, but I wasn't a wimp.

"Eh, I'll be fine. Nothing I can't handle." I laughed a bit awkwardly. Reiko and I hadn't really talked much since our date, it almost seemed like she had been avoiding me.

"So..." She started but trailed off without saying anything else. Her arms were crossed, and she was refusing to look at me.

I sighed before clasping my hands together nervously. "Look, Reiko-san, it's okay."

"Huh?"

"I get it if you don't want to go on any more dates. I mean, I had a lot of fun and I thought you did too, but we can just stay frie-"

"What? No!" Said girl interrupted quickly. "God, no, oh man. That's not- I'm so bad at this. I...had a lot of fun Saturday."

My head shot up and my eyes widened. What? "But you've been ignoring me."

"I know, it wasn't on purpose, I'm just embarrassed. I don't have much experience here and I really like you and didn't want to mess things up." She said quickly, putting her face in her hands. I paused for a moment before giggling.

"Oh my god, I thought you had a terrible time. Whew, I'm so relived." I sighed, putting my hand over my heart. "Reiko-san, I had a lot of fun on our date, and I'd really like to do it again some time."

I diverted my eyes, a blush on my cheeks.

"Yes!" Reiko shouted immediately. "I mean, um, yes, I'd really like that as well."

"Great!" I smiled before checking the time. "I have to go, talk to you later?"

"Definitely."

* * *

"Sky-chan, you haven't stopped blushing since you got back from practice." Mitskuni commented innocently as we sat in the limo. I immediately buried my face in my hands. Had I really?

"Ah, don't tease me Mitskuni-senpai."

"Do you have a cruuuuuuuuuush?" He responded, dragging out the last word way too long. I missed the way he slyly glanced at his cousin.

"I think so." I admitted, face still buried in my hands. The only one who knew about my date, other than my friends back home, was Haruhi. It never came up with any of my host friends and I didn't think the information was pertinent enough to share. It was only one date.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Mitskuni pried, bouncing up and down excitedly. Honestly, I was a little scared. I didn't hide the fact that I was pansexual, but I also didn't broadcast it to the world, I didn't feel the need too. Most of the time I didn't care about revealing that part of myself, the world was on an uphill climb when it came to LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance, none of my friends turned me away when I came out and for the most part my family was extremely supportive.

It was the culture change that scared me. I really liked Mitskuni, Takashi, and all of the hosts, they were some of my only friends in Japan and I didn't want to lose them. However, if they wouldn't accept me for who I was, I guess they wouldn't be the right friends for me.

"Her name's Reiko Sanda, she's a third year like y'all. We play volleyball together and we went on a date Saturday." It all came out in a rush and I grasped my hands together in front of me as the limo was silent. My heart felt like it was racing a mile a minute.

"Oh." Mitskuni said simply and paused for a moment before continuing. "Rei-chan is in our history class, isn't she Takashi?"

"Yeah."

"She's suuuuuper nice and smart too." Mitskuni prattled on nonchalantly. "Not as cute as you Sky-chan, but still cute. Maybe you can bring her to the host club one day and we can all eat cake!"

"Maybe one day Mitskuni-senpai, not anytime soon though." I replied with a smile. My gaze strayed to Takashi and when our eyes met he quickly looked away.

"I didn't know you like girls, Sky-chan."

"Well, I don't just like girls, I like anyone. I'm not going to let gender or sex get in the way of finding the love of my life." I admitted

Mitskuni continued to chatter on per usual, only stopping when waiting for answers to his questions. When we finally made it back to Arashi's, Takashi was quick to exit the limo, so he could help me out, just like every other day. It had become routine after the first day, no matter how much I protested, he refused to back down, so I dropped it.

His larger hand grasped mine, keeping me steady as I stepped out of the limo. When I got my footing, he released my hand only to replace it on my shoulder.

"I hope she makes you happy." He said simply, a sincere smile on his face. I blinked owlishly at him for a second before blushing.

"Thank you Takashi-senpai." He nodded once before getting back in the limo, and they were gone.

* * *

"Physical exams?" I repeated dumbly and Haruhi nodded in response.

"Yeah, it's bound to be an ordeal. I personally don't care about people finding out that I'm a girl, but the fastest way I can pay off my debt is by being a host." She admitted with a sigh as we sat side by side, bentos in our laps. "Aaaand they may have bribed me with fancy tuna."

She said the last part so low I could barely hear it, but I managed to pick up the words and snorted.

"My prediction," I started, putting my hand on my chin in contemplation. "is that Tamaki-san is going to come up with some ridiculous plan that wouldn't work in a million years and everyone's going to go along with it because it's Tamaki-san. However, Kyoya-san is already going to have it all figured out and his plan will actually work."

Haruhi stared at me for a few moments before bursting out into laughter. A few girls around us stopped to admire the sight.

"Wow, I've never heard Haruhi-kun laugh before."

"I wish I could make Haruhi-kun laugh like that."

"Quick, take a video!"

"You've only been around them a few weeks, but it seems you have their personalities figured out SkyLynn, that was honestly spot on." She finally said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. I didn't fail to notice the glares I was getting from a few of the girls milling around.

It was something I had noticed the last few days. My classmates were finally picking up on how much time I spent with the Host Club, with Haruhi in particular. They noticed the way Haruhi and I spent lunch together every day, the way I left school with Mitskuni and Takashi, the way I chatted easily with Kyoya and Tamaki before class, and the way the twins didn't think twice before throwing their arms around my shoulders.

I hadn't been approached about it yet, but if I knew anything about high school girls, it was only a matter of time.

"It's kinda weird that y'all have physical exam like this." I said in-between bites of curry.

"Didn't you have them in America?" Haruhi asked curiously.

"Nope, I vaguely remember one in middle school maybe? But nothing in high school, unless you were playing sports or something."

"It seems our countries are more different than I thought."

"You can say that again."

* * *

"Sky! Over here!" A cheerful voice exclaimed the moment I stepped into the large hall where the physical examinations would be taking place. I scanned the room and my eyes landed on Emiko, jumping up and down and frantically waving at me.

"Hey Emiko, hey Yoshino." I greeted with a smile as I walked up to my teammates. "This setup is so professional, I don't think I'll ever get used to the lengths that higher-class people will go too."

Emiko laughed. "You have a point."

"Most of us have our own private doctors at home anyway. Though this is a school, it's also a business, the grandeur boosts the mood of the students during this formality." Yoshino informed seriously before blushing and retreating back to her shell. I loved it when Yoshino spoke up, though the instances were far and few between. Yoshino was smart, and more cunning than she looked.

"That makes sense." I nodded, looking around the hall and having to do a double take when I saw a familiar pair donned in a white lab coat and wearing round glasses.

I knew Tamaki's plan was going to be ridiculous, but dressing up Mitskuni and Takashi like doctors? Even I couldn't have predicted that one.

Takashi turned his head and his eyes met mine. With a smile on my face, I gave him a 'thumbs up' and he nodded once in acknowledgement.

"So, how was your date with Reiko?" Emiko asked slyly, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. A blush lit up my face and I fought the urge to bury my face in my hands.

"It was really good." I admitted, and she squealed loudly.

"You two are such a cute couple." She gushed.

"We're not even a couple Emiko." I protested but was drowned out by the group of girls clustered around the Hitachiin twins who were currently shirtless.

"C'mon guys, we're missing the show!" Emiko said excitedly, grabbing us both by our wrists and dragging us to the center of it. They were putting on their typical twin act, so I let my attention wander. I almost missed Mitskuni and Takashi grabbing Haruhi and throwing her into one of the curtained rooms. Something interesting was bound to happen.

"Fujioka-sama, it's time to measure your chest." One of the nurses said and the group of girls clustered around the outside of the curtain. "Once you have gotten yourself ready, please step this way."

"Next up is Haruhi-kun!"

"I've never seen him before." The girls chatted excitedly.

"Fujioka-sama, are you ready yet?"

The anticipation was heavy as everyone waited for Haruhi to pull back the curtain. I found myself leaning forward with everyone, though for a different reason. I couldn't wait to see whatever stunt Tamaki was going to pull.

"Yes." The curtain was dramatically pulled to the side. "I am Fujioka Haruhi."

I immediately doubled over with laughter. It was Tamaki; wearing a brown wig. The girls clustered around were confused and easily saw through the poor attempt at a disguise. I continued dying of laughter as Tamaki ripped the wig off in embarrassment.

"You guys! You guys said there was no way they'd see through it!" He shouted, grabbing one of the twins by the neck.

"Just a little payback for calling us the homosexual supporting cast!" He defended, tears of laughter still in his eyes.

"Chiasson-sama, we're ready for you." A friendly nurse interrupted.

"Oh, okay, see you guys later." I said, following the pink-clad woman into one of the small rooms.

"Bye Sky! See you later!"

"Goodbye SkyLynn."

* * *

"What?" I asked in disbelief, sprawled out on my bed and Haruhi sprawled out beside me.

"Yep, Tamaki-senpai kicked him like he was a soccer ball." Haruhi repeated and I laughed.

"So, the man was just looking for his daughter?"

"Mhm."

"Instead of sneaking into a room, he should have just been forthright with his problem from the start. I swear, people don't have any common sense." I sighed.

"And your prediction was completely right, Kyoya-senpai had a reasonable plan the whole time. All the doctor's and staff are employed by his family's hospital." My friend said and I grinned.

"I can't say I'm surprised. At least that's all over and your secret is kept safe for another day."

"Do I really look that much like a boy? It's not like I'm actively trying to appear masculine, aside from the uniform that is." She asked and I sat up, peering at her face.

"I mean, I think it's more the fact that you're not actively trying to look like a girl. You just look really androgynous, throw you in a girl's uniform and it's obvious you're a girl. And don't get offended, but you're pretty flat-chested, and your voice is deep for a girl." I pointed out and she nodded. "Either way, you're cute."

"Ah, you're cuter though, I'm just average." Haruhi said offhandedly and I scoffed.

"Haruhi, are you that oblivious to how many girls are in love with you at school?" And boys, but I kept that one to myself.

"I wouldn't say in love-"

"In love." I said firmly. "I'm actually surprised you haven't been confessed to yet. You just missed Valentine's Day, so maybe next year?"

"You're exaggerating." Haruhi scoffed and I rolled my eyes.

"We'll see about that."

"So, do you know when your first volleyball game is?" She asked, skillfully changing the subject.

"Our actual games aren't scheduled yet, we have a skirmish coming up in a few weeks against another skill. Something to just warm us up, is what Hayami said."

"Are you nervous?"

"Absolutely terrified." I laughed. "They've all been playing together for years, they all went to the same middle school and suddenly I'm thrown into the mix. We practice really well together but a game if entirely different. It's Hayami and Reiko's last year and they really want to make it to nationals, I just don't want to let them down."

"I'm sure you'll be great Sky, and I'll be there to cheer you on if the Host Club doesn't have anything going on." She reassured, and I smiled.

"You really are a great friend Haruhi."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is very long overdue, I've had a lot going on in my personal life and with school so sorry for the wait. Hope y'all enjoy!**


End file.
